Masquerade
by kinatsurune
Summary: Might be a bit overrated. Cinderella story with a twist. Several, actually, one of which includes a sadistic Frieza. Gohan's the prince, Trunks is 'Cinderella' but don't worry, that's not actually his name thank God.
1. Prologue

A/N: Okeee, here's my first fanfic! Well, actually, not my very first, but my first to be posted on this account. This actually came from a dream of mine, one of the very few that actually made sense, and I decided to turn it into a fanfic. It's actually based on Cinderella, but with an original plot in there too. Please enjoy, and drop off a nice review if you don't mind!

Oh, also, this isn't beta-read or anything, so beware typos.

Summary: Cinderella story with a twist. Several, actually, one of which includes a sadistic Frieza. Gohan's the prince, Trunks is 'Cinderella' (but don't worry, that's not actually his name thank God).

**M a s q u e r a d e **

**Prologue**

"TRUUUUUUNKS!" A tremendous bellow echoed throughout the large mansion, causing a few birds to take flight in fear. The roar was repeated again, scaring off what wildlife remained, and the person in question giggled from his hiding place from behind a rose bush.

Young Trunks, having ten years, was an absolutely adorable little boy. His purple hair was an odd asset, but fit him nevertheless. Sparkling blue eyes rivaled the sky in color, although now they were filled with mischief. Even as a young boy, Trunks had tanned skin, proof of his constant wanderings outside.

However, no amount of cuteness would save him that day.

"Gotcha!"

Trunks meeped as he was suddenly lifted by the back of his sea-green T-shirt. He gulped as he stared into the vengeful eyes of his furious father. "H-hi, papa." He said timidly. Glancing up at his handiwork, results of a well-planned prank, the child nearly burst out in laughter, almost ruining his act of innocence.

"Why, hello there Trunks. You wouldn't happen to know what THIS would be, would you?" Vegeta asked dangerously, pointing to his sparkling, purple hair.

"It's your hair, papa." Trunks said as if it were obvious.

"Don't play smart with me, boy! This is the third time this week you've ruined something of mine, and it has got to STOP! Absolutely NO son of mine will behave like this, no matter how old! You are a Briefs! One of the noblest families in the kingdom, and -"

"Tooousaaaan, I've already heard all this before." Trunks whined. "And can you put me down?"

A tic twitched on Vegeta's forehead. "You - you -"

"Impudent, good for nothing, imbecilic scoundrel!" Trunks finished for him cheerfully. With a deft flip, he broke his father's hold on his shirt and lunged forward to give his father a tight hug.

"You're a Brief!" Vegeta blustered, even as a smile creeped up onto his own face. "No Brief should show affection, it is a sign of weakness! When…no one's looking, that is…"

Trunks giggled and scrambled onto his father's shoulders. "Hehe, now your hair's just like mine! Except prettier because of all the glitter!"

"Trunks, I swear, you're gonna grow up to be a freaking fairy…"

"Fairy?" Trunks questioned.

"Like our oldest prince." Vegeta explained, picking the boy off his shoulders and setting him on the ground.

"Oh, you mean liking guys? There's nothing wrong with that! I like you, papa! And Goku-sama, and Gohan-sama, and Goten-sama's my age! Maybe we can be friends sometime, and I'll be able to say I have a real prince for a friend! Oh, wouldn't that be so cool, papa?" Trunks bubbled excitedly. He then went on to list everyone else he liked,

"Yamcha-san's cool too, I like him, and I like Krillin too I guess, only I saw him only once, but he was really funny looking and his head was funny! And -"

"Yeah yeah…I'll give you the proper talk when you're old enough." Vegeta grumbled.

"- 17-san creeps me out, so I dunno if I like him, Frieza-san is scary, I DEFINITELY don't like him -"

Vegeta sighed.

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Trunks peeked around the corner, still clutching a dirty rag. His father hadn't forgotten to punish him, and he was made to scrub the kitchen tables till they sparkled. Trunks scowled; he wasn't a common servant!

But anyway, he'd sneaked out because it was BORING staring at the same piece of wood while trying to scrub out UFO's - Unidentified Food Objects. And he'd heard that Frieza-san was visiting today, and his visits were always interesting…because his father would always end up yelling something creative.

Sure enough, he could make out the white and purple figure arguing heatedly with his father. Listening closely, Trunks inwardly sighed as he realized what it was about - money, and DEBTS; AGAIN. Whatever a 'debt' was.

Although this time it seemed Frieza had the upper hand, the white lizard being the calmer of the two. Trunks winced; he didn't want to watch THAT, he preferred watching his father beat the ugly man into the ground. Not physically of course, that wouldn't do for diplomatic means, but at least verbally.

Deciding there was nothing interesting to do, Trunks returned to the kitchen, chucked the rag aside, and, ignoring the cook's protests, jumped out the kitchen window.

"Dad, are you sure this is okay?" A young teenager, looking to be about 18 years old, glanced around nervously from under the worn hood of his cloak.

"Sure, Gohan, why not? You need to see the outside world more, experience life, see what's out there!" His father replied jovially, eyeing a passing food cart rather hungrily. Gohan sighed. His father may be the King of a vast kingdom, but he was still a goofball when you came right down to it. In fact, it was actually his mother that ruled, especially since it was her line that was the royal one; Goku didn't have enough sense to make a plausible ruler anyway.

Which was being proven right now, as Gohan glanced at his oblivious father. Judging from his father's familiarity with the common folk, it seemed he'd done this many times before. Although this was the first time he'd insisted on his oldest son accompanying him…which was horrifying to the teenager, prompting him to wear a disguising cloak.

"Gohan, they're not gonna hurt you." Goku chastised, waving to one of the bakers.

"But they'll recognize me! And mom'll find out!" Gohan whispered fearfully.

"For one thing, son, they'll recognize you anyway since you're with me. For another, Chichi hasn't caught ME yet, has she?" Goku said proudly.

Gohan rolled his eyes, although his father wouldn't be able to see it. "That's not something to be proud of, dad."

"Come on, these people are my friends. They won't tell. Oooh, I know! Let's visit Vegeta, he's a good friend of mine!" Goku grabbed his son's arm much to the teenager's protests and rushed off, laughing like the happy fool he was.

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Sneaking out was so easy, he'd already be extremely rich by now if he got a nickel for every time he did it. Jumping over the iron gate, Trunks snickered as he imagined when his father realized that he was gone. Well, it wasn't fair anyway that he always had to stay cooped up in that stuffy old mansion. There was nothing to do there except pranks, and those got boring after running out of ideas.

Glancing furtively behind his shoulder to double check that no one was coming after him, Trunks didn't see the barreling figure in front of him until it collided - painfully - with him, straight on.

"Ooof!"

Trunks groaned, holding his head. Man, it felt like he ran into a wall of bricks! Or rather, a wall of bricks had run into HIM.

"Dad, now look what you did!" Came a rich, tenor voice. Even through his pain, Trunks couldn't help but feel warm at that voice, although he had no idea why.

"Oh no…" came a contrite reply. Feeling strong hands lift him up, Trunks opened his eyes to see large black eyes peering into his with concern. Behind him stood a larger man with spikes of hair going in all directions.

Trunks gasped as he recognized the two men. Now he knew why that voice made him feel so good. Scrambling out of the prince's grip, Trunks blushed hotly as he nearly tripped. God, he must look so stupid…

"G-Goku-sama, G-G-Gohan-s-sama!" Trunks stuttered, blushing and stuttering further on his crush's name. What on Earth were they doing here?

"I'm really sorry about that, you're so small I didn't see you…" Goku laughed embarrassedly, putting a hand behind his head in an odd gesture.

"Are you okay, kid?" Gohan-sama asked. Trunks blushed again and lowered his eyes, staring at his shoes, as he mumbled a 'yes'.

"Hey, aren't you Vegeta's kid?" Goku suddenly asked.

Trunks panicked. His father would have a fit if he found out he so disrespectfully ran into the King! For some reason, his father was always sensitive when it came to Goku-sama…

"No! No, I'm not, I'm just uh…just, walking through! Yeah! Just passing by, I'm not doing anything wrong!" Trunks babbled, backing up at the looks of skepticism on the two men's faces.

"I could've sworn Vegeta had a son…and you can't really forget the purple hair…"

"No, that's just a coincidence!" Trunks laughed shakily. "Well, gotta go!" With that, he rushed off, running as fast as he could away from the beautiful prince now staring perplexedly after him.

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Vegeta sighed angrily, glaring at the rug he was now pacing a hole into. How dare that slinking lizard try and con him out of his money again! He had paid his debts years ago, and it wasn't even to Frieza! He owed nothing to that bastardly creature! It was to Frieza's father, Cold (who was decidedly no better than his son), and the debt was paid in full! Just because it was an unofficial debt, that gave Frieza no right to come hounding him, day after day, that he had not paid it. The nerve of that lizard!

"Geeetaaaa!" Came a delighted voice from the hallway. 'Oh no.' was all the time Vegeta had to think before a large and heavy object encompassed his small frame completely.

"Kakarott, you stupid oaf, get OFF me!" Vegeta snarled, throwing the big lug forcefully off of him. This did not daunt the other, however.

"Awww, Geta, we haven't seen each other in such a long time!" Goku smiled happily.

"Thank god for my sanity." Vegeta muttered. "And stop calling me that infernal name!"

Either not hearing, not caring, or not understanding (probably the latter) the indirect insult, Goku continued on with gusto. "Wanna meet my son, Vegeta? Huh, huh, huh?"

"Kakarott, you are the freaking KING! Quit acting like a child, and no, I don't want to meet your son if he's going to be another replica of you!"

"Oh, well, I brought him, so you might as well meet him anyway." Goku said cheekily. Vegeta sighed; this is how it always was; no matter what he said, Goku went on with whatever he wanted to do anyway. He was the King, after all.

"Vegeta this is Gohan." Goku pulled forward a teenager smiling uncertainly to the shorter, older man. "And Gohan, this is Vegeta. He's my best friend -"

"Define 'friend.'" Vegeta grumbled.

"- and sparring partner."

"Hello, Vegeta-san." Gohan said, bowing politely. Well, at least his son was better mannered than the father.

"Vegeta and I met when I was your age, Gohan, although he claims he knew me before…it was probably before that time I hit my head and forgot everything." Goku grinned. "That's why he calls me Kakarott, cuz that was supposedly my name before."

"That's nice dad…um, shouldn't we really be getting back?" Gohan asked nervously.

"Ahh, I guess. Sorry Vegeta, but Gohan's too much of a scaredy cat, so I guess we'll go for now."

"Dad!"

"No, your brat has enough sense not to be wandering around the kingdom when he should be on his stupid throne." Vegeta replied, smirking.

"Awww, Vegeta, that's meeeaaan…"

"Ch, whatever."

As Goku turned to leave, Vegeta suddenly remembered something. "Wait, Kakarott!"

"Yeah, Geta?"

"Your other brat…Goten."

"Yeah?"

Vegeta looked decidedly uncomfortable, as he was unused to asking favors. But he knew he owed it to his son, if only to stop the endless pranks the boy thought up of when he got bored or lonely.

"Could he…come over here sometime? My son…"

"Awwww, Geta doesn't want his son to be lonely!" Goku grinned, making the smaller man flush in embarrassment. "Of course I'll bring Goten over sometime!"

"But Dad, mom might not like that -"

"Chichi won't mind, or won't know…anyway, I'm sure he'd love to meet your son. What's his name?" Goku asked.

"Trunks. And the good for nothing brat is scrubbing the kitchen tables right now for dying my hair."

Goku laughed uproariously. "Hahahaha, again? What color?"

"None of your business, now will you leave already?" Vegeta asked, pissed.

"Sure, sure. See ya!" The two men left, the older waving cheerily at his friend.

"So I guess that purple haired kid outside wasn't his son." Gohan remarked.

"Guess not, but he sure looks like a 'Trunks' to me!"

Gohan rolled his eyes, but didn't comment. Although he'd half hoped that HAD been Trunks…if Goten was going to start coming over, he could have the excuse of coming over too. Because there was something about the cute little kid that made him curious, and almost drawn to the child. Shrugging, Gohan put the strange feeling aside.

"TRUNKS!"

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"What, what!" Trunks called back frantically, scrambling back through the window. Had his father found out? Shooting the cook a warning look, Trunks pasted on his most innocent face as his father stormed in.

"How many times have I called you, boy? Answer the first time!" Vegeta barked, annoyed.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you. What is it, papa?" Trunks said innocently. It looked like his father hadn't found out.

"I've…arranged for prince Goten to stop by once in a while. He -"

"Oh, papa, thank you so much!" Trunks jumped into his father's arms, hugging tightly. "Now I'll have someone else to play pranks with!"

"Oh no, no you don't. In exchange, you are never to anything that will disturb my physical appearance, nor wreck anything in the house, nothing! No pranks, understand?" Vegeta warned. Trunks nodded happily, smiling.

"Now, I have to go to a meeting to clear something up with…Cold." Vegeta grimaced. "I'll be gone for the day, so I expect you to be good for Yamcha and cause no trouble for him. Although, a little trouble won't hurt." Vegeta added. Trunks laughed and nodded. The gardener/Trunks' caretaker was a nice guy, but sometimes boring…both father and son had the opinion it was fun to ruffle his feathers once in a while.

"Are you leaving now?" Trunks asked.

"Yes, I must resolve this matter at once, and at least get Frieza out of my hair." Vegeta set his son down. "So I will see you this evening."

"Okay, papa! Have a nice trip!"

Little did Trunks know that that would be the last time he ever saw his father again.

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A/N: Whew, that was a really long prologue, but I wanted to end it right. Plus,I needed to make sure I put in enough information that's gonna be important later. Sorry if it seemed a bit dragged, this chapter came out a lot longer than I intended.

:Kitsune:

Only because you're hungry for reviews, baka.

Hey, that's meeeaaaan! (even if its true…hinthint)


	2. 7 yrs later

**Chapter one**

A/N: Oops, I realized I didn't put a disclaimer before so…here it is!

Disclaimer: Dragonballz and all its characters belong to Akira Toriyama. Why the hell would I be writing a FANfic if it were mine!

_Seven years later_

The crowing of a rooster pierced the silence of the morning like a blade. A young man with light purple hair sat up, yawning, from his position in the straw. Glancing up, he smiled sleepily at the curious nose poking at his face.

"Morning to you too, Ichigo." Trunks murmured, patting the strawberry colored horse fondly. The animal was the last gift his father had given him before he had died; naturally, he treasured the beautiful horse with all his heart.

Seven years ago, Trunks' life had come to a screeching halt. The day that was supposed to be like any other day turned out to be the young boy's worst nightmare. When Vegeta failed to return for two days leaving poor Trunks worried sick, a concerned Goku had sent out guards to investigate the disappearance of his friend. What he found sickened him to no ends and nearly sent Trunks into hysterics.

A few hours later, the guards had reported back…with Vegeta's head. His carriage had never even made it to its destination; halfway to Cold's domain, it had been robbed by common robbers and Vegeta had been killed. Although something about the scene seemed off, there was nothing Goku could do but accept it. Trunks had overheard the King informing Yamcha of the incident, and fled to cry his bitter tears. His life felt like it was over.

But no, it had gotten even worse, if that was possible. Cold, the father of Frieza who kept claiming his father had owed him money, barged into the mansion and declared it his own. He and his son claimed that since Vegeta could no longer pay his debt, they would just have to take what he left behind - and that included his son. Trunks had resisted at first, screaming and punching, but eventually, after the lizards had threatened to throw him out on the streets, the young boy realized he had no choice. With an iron will, Trunks vowed to himself he would do everything he could to stay as close as he could to his father's possessions and eventually take them back. Even if that meant serving Cold like a common slave.

Currently, Trunks' job was a mere stablehand. His jobs changed currently, depending on his master's mood; if the lizard was in a good mood, he got the stable hands or something less strenuous. If he was in a bad mood, the teenager ended up with helping the goldsmith or hard labor like carrying bricks for a new construction. Or even, waiting on Frieza. Trunks shuddered at the memory; the white and purple lizard had totally creeped him out, staring at him with that calculating stare.

The Briefs domain had included many trades, for Vegeta had been very rich; he had owned several businesses, which Cold had not hesitated to exploit. He had even dared to build more buildings on his father's lands.

It angered Trunks, to see his father's precious lands frittered away, sold and built on. Although Vegeta hadn't admitted it, he had valued the environment's health, and left vast amounts of his land as meadows, forests, or grazing fields; seeing the buildings and workers now built on top of them made Trunks' chest ache. But he had learned to suppress it, knowing there was nothing he could do. If only Goku could help…

But the King himself had also been affected by Vegeta's death. For years he had sulked the loss of his good friend, a gloomy shadow of who he once was. The fruitless efforts of his wife and children did nothing to appease his grief. He had canceled the meetings of Goten with Trunks, for to see the property of his good friend taken over by a stranger would only bring painful reminders. Cold had a supposedly legal contract that proved Vegeta's debts, so as a King, Goku could not legally deny the lizard his demands. It was only recently that Goku had finally recovered from his friend's death and begun to resume his old self again.

Trunks, on the other hand, was nothing like his old self. In addition to have matured from a child to a young man, his manner was very different from before. Years of suppression on his own lands had built up a burning anger that fueled his iron will for avenging his father. The years of helplessness, however, added a sharp edge to his will, giving him a short temper that more often then not got him into trouble.

Going back to the present, Trunks slowly got up, yawning and stretching. He picked up the ragged piece of cloth that had served as his pillow and shook it out to reveal a tattered sleeveless shirt. Donning the poor excuse for a piece of clothing, Trunks gave one last pat to his beloved horse and began his chores for the day.

With a rusty shovel, Trunks gathered all the horse manure from each of the stables, piling the dung in a corner to be used as fertilizer later. Used to the smell, Trunks didn't even grimace as he shoveled up the crap from each horse.

After that, Trunks put away the shovel and picked up a brush that was sitting on a small table. "You ready for a brush-up, Ichigo?" Trunks murmured, stroking the slick pink fur. Fortunately, due to his rare color, Frieza had kept the pink horse and treated it well. Trunks didn't know what he'd do if Cold had decided to sell it.

The horse whinnied softly in reply, flicking its ears as it watched expectantly. Trunks laughed and proceeded to brush, making the silky coat shine even more. "Sorry, Ichigo, but this isn't just for fun…Frieza wants to ride you again today." Trunks couldn't keep the disgust out of his voice. He hated that Frieza seemed to have taken a liking to HIS horse…if only to annoy Trunks further. The lizard looked for every possible opportunity to aggravate the purple haired teen, and riding his horse was only one of many.

A shadow entered the barn, the long swishing tail indicating who it was. Trunks froze and did not look up. After a moment, he continued brushing as if nothing was there, even as soft footsteps slowly approached.

"Well well well, I must say, you look rather…stunning, this morning Trunks." Frieza drawled sarcastically, eyeing the dirty rags the boy called clothing. "Doesn't that feel like such a shame… to be dressed in such a a way on your own lands." Frieza laughed, even when Trunks didn't respond.

"Ironic, isn't it? But that's how life is…the strong will prevail over the weak. And you, my Trunks, are so definitely…weak…" Trunks shuddered as cold fingers gripped his chin and forced his face to look into cold purple eyes.

"What do you want?" Trunks growled, unable to keep the nervousness in his voice. This was the very reason he hated Frieza more than Cold; not because of the constant insults or goading, but because the white and purple lizard just refused to keep his slimy, cold hands, to himself!

Frieza laughed again. "Still a fiery one, I see." He released his hold on the teen. "But I'm afraid I must cut short our budding relationship," Trunks shuddered, "for it seems we both have developed new interests."

Trunks froze. 'Both?' What was that supposed to mean?

"I must say, though, I would never have imagined you going for the likes of Gohan-sama…"

Trunks shut his eyes tightly, gripping the brush harder. How the hell did he know!

"How do I know?" Frieza asked in amusement, reading his mind. "How can I not know with you constantly calling his name in your sleep - yes, I watch you sleep, you look SO vulnerable then - and every time Gohan-sama happens to be in town, you just can't help but STARE. Is that what you dream of, dear Trunks? You wish for Gohan-sama to whisk you off your feet and carry you away, is that it?" Frieza cackled. "And I suppose you have to go further than that; every night, you must feel so HOT just thinking about him. Don't you, Trunks? I -"

Trunks snapped. With all his strength, he flung the brush at that maddening white and purple head, hoping it'd leave at least a bruise. Without even waiting to see if it landed, Trunks bodily launched himself at the lizard and knocked him down, blindly punching as hard as he could. At the moment, all he wanted to do was cause PAIN; he didn't care for the consequences just then.

With a sudden flip, Trunks found their positions reversed; he angrily glared up at the amused, barely scratched face of the lizard. The young teen struggled against the other's strong hold on his wrists, wanting to cause more pain to the hateful creature on top of him.

"Get off me." Trunks growled.

"But why, Trunks? This position is just SO comfortable." Frieza purred. "And you're the one who started this anyway."

"Let GO!" Trunks yelled, vainly attempting to twist his wrists out of Frieza's firm grip.

"Why don't you listen to the rest of what I have to say?"

"Does it look like I have a choice?" Trunks snapped, shifting uncomfortably under the heavy weight of the lizard.

"I suppose not. Anyway, you have no chance with Gohan-sama. He is out of your reach; he is royalty, you are a mere slave." Frieza sneered in contempt.

"Is that all you wanted to waste my time with?" Trunks spat.

"Of course not. Like I said earlier, we both have new interests now. I have outgrown you, my dear Trunks -"

Trunks snorted.

"- and I'm moving onto bigger prey. Gohan is MINE." Frieza hissed. With that, he was gone, leaving a stunned Trunks lying on the ground.

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"Dad, wanna play hooky?" Gohan whispered at the dinner table, making sure his little brother was properly distracting their mother. Every opportunity he got, the young man tried to get his father to go out on his little excursions in the attempt to bring the King further back to his old self.

Fortunately, in the last few years, Goku seemed to have gotten his sense back and was returning to the happy, go-lucky man he used to be, minus the few bouts of depression he sometimes got.

Today, he seemed to be in a good mood, so Gohan decided to risk his mother's wrath for his father's happiness.

"You sure, Gohan?" Goku whispered back, grinning. "Chichi might bash your head in with that new frying pan of hers." The Queen, despite being a Queen, loved to cook and seemed to be able to whip out a frying pan out of thin air when she needed it - which was often, when it came to disciplining her hard headed family.

"I think I'll risk a few brain cells, I've got enough anyway." Gohan chuckled.

"Gohan! Goku! No whispering at the dinner table!" Chichi screeched, forcefully prying Goten's hands off the dessert plate. "And eat your toast first, Goten!"

"Aww, mooom!" Goten whined, wistfully eyeing the chocolate mousse.

"I don't even know why you boys insist on having a dessert for every meal anyway."

"Cuz you love us so much, you just can't resist spoiling us."

"You wish. Finish your toast, Goten."

"Myeh…"

Yes, meals at the royal table were strange affairs indeed.

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"So what do you want to do today, dad?" Gohan asked cheerfully, waving to some passing children. Ever since his father had become depressed, he had repeatedly took the man out among the common people to cheer him up. In the process, the 25 year old man had become as accustomed to it as his father was seven years ago. By then, of course, Chichi had found out about their little hooky trips, but didn't protest too much when she too realized they would be good for her husband.

"Mmmmm…I haven't had that brown sugar in a while…Chichi thinks its too plain to eat at the palace." Goku mused.

Gohan rolled his eyes. Trust his father to make his decision based on food. "Okay, fine, let's go find some. It should be at some sweets store."

Ten minutes later found the two munching happily on not only sugar but various other sweets as well.

"Man, I don't know why Chichi says these things are unhealthy." Goku complained, cheek bulging ridiculously with a candy ball.

"Dad, there's too much sugar, that's why."

"But sugar's good for you!"

"Not if there's too much!"

"How do you know that?"

"Dad…"

"Hey! That's my sugar!" Goku yelped as a furry mouth suddenly reached over his shoulder and licked up the remaining cubes of the sweet snack.

"My apologies, your highness, but Ichigo SO does love sugar." Came a silvery voice. Gohan inwardly shuddered; the voice was as sugarcoated as the candy balls he was eating.

"Oh that's okay…Frieza-san? What are you doing here?" Goku asked. Gohan panicked; Frieza was the new owner of Vegeta's domain, along with his father Cold. If Goku remembered that, he might get depressed again.

"Uhmm, Dad, I just remembered something I had to do. We should get back."

"Now? But we just got out, Gohan!" Goku whined.

"Yes, and your highnesses haven't stopped by my domain in a while. It actually has a new touch to it, and if you wouldn't mind, I'd love to show you around." Frieza said winningly, talking more to Gohan than to Goku.

"Your domain?" Goku frowned. "You mean Vegeta's domain." He said testily.

"But of course." Frieza agreed readily. "However, his debts were not paid before his death, so something must compensate for that."

"Didn't Vegeta have a son? By his right, the domain belongs to him, and from his profits, he can pay off his father's debts." Goku said coldly, ignoring the frantic tuggings of his own son.

Frieza nodded, thinking fast. "Vegeta did indeed have a son; a fine young man named Trunks I believe. But he disappeared shortly after his father's death, and has not been heard from since."

"Is that so?" Goku asked, smiling humorlessly. "Actually, I think I would like a look around, wouldn't you, Gohan?"

"Are you sure, Dad?" Gohan asked, afraid for his father's mental health. "I mean, if you don't want to, you know, be reminded of anything…"

Goku shook his head as the two followed after the slowly trotting pink horse. "No, its time I stopped moping about like a fool and respected Vegeta's death. I should have at least had the sense to occasionally stop by to check on Trunks."

"But Frieza said he's dead…"

"Honestly, Gohan, would you really trust the word of that snake?" Goku whispered softly. He may dislike Cold and his family, but it wouldn't do for Frieza to overhear it; they had considerable power now that they had Vegeta's domain.

"I guess not…"

Too busy discussing the wiles of the Cold family, the two men didn't notice Frieza hastily summoning a servant, whispering orders, and sending him off.

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"Trunks! Trunks!"

At the frantic calling of his name, Trunks popped his head out from the pond he had been swimming in. "Yamcha? What is it?"

The gardener rushed up, stopping at the water's edge, and breathed heavily as if he had been running fast and hard.

"Frieza-sama…is on his way here…" wheeze "with the King and Prince!"

Trunks' breath hitched. "Which…which prince?"

"Gohan-sama!" Before Trunks could speculate on whether he should be excited or horrified, Yamcha continued more urgently now that he had gotten his breath back. "And Frieza ordered that you stay out of sight for the entire time they are here!"

"But…but why?" Trunks protested.

"I don't know…but if you don't, he said he'll have you whipped for three hours straight. Trunks, I know you hate listening to him, but this time, PLEASE do as he says!" Yamcha pleaded.

"But…" Trunks clenched a fist. No doubt the lizard was trying to mock him, bringing the object of both their affections and flaunting being in the presence of the prince while he had to hide.

"Trunks! They're coming!" Yamcha frantically pulled the young teen away from the view of the main gate and pushed him roughly behind a tree. "I know how much you like Gohan-sama -"

"Good god, does everybody know?" Trunks growled.

"That's not the point; just DON'T do anything foolish just because a simple crush!" Yamcha whispered warningly. Glancing over, his voice became even more panicked. "There's no time to hide anywhere. Hide in this tree, and don't let any of them see you!"

"Why do I have to climb it? I'll just stand behind it!" Trunks grouched, still cross at Yamcha knowing his secret.

"It's too thin, your hair can be seen! Just climb, NOW!"

With that, Yamcha quickly rushed out to greet his returning master. "Welcome back Frieza-sama, Your Majesties Goku-sama and Gohan-sama." Yamcha bowed, hoping Trunks had listened to him and hidden in the tree. Just in case, he stalled for more time, praying the three didn't look over and spot purple hair.

"Frieza-sama, I suppose you brought their Majesties for a tour of your home?" Yamcha asked. At Frieza's nod, he quickly turned away from the tree Trunks was hiding in and towards the stables. "Uhm, shall I take your horse, Frieza-sama?"

"Of course, fool, what are you here for?"

"Err, would their majesties like to see the beautiful horses we have here?" Yamcha continued, giving a side glance to the tree. Was Trunks hidden in it yet!

"No, their majesties can't be bothered with insignificant -"

"Actually, yeah I'd like that." Goku interrupted.

"Of course, right this way." Yamcha breathed a sigh of relief. Trunks would be safe.

-whyohwhydoesn'tthestupidpagebreakworkarrrrrghitssofreakingannoyingsosorrybutthislittlerantwillhavetodoforthepagebreak-

Trunks glared at the white abomination called Frieza. He felt tears prick his eyes as he watched Gohan turn his back and walk away. This is how it has always been; Frieza would get the meatiest part with Trunks left with the scraps. It just wasn't FAIR.

Depressed, Trunks didn't even bother to climb down and find a more suitable hiding place. Instead, he just lay on the branch, rough bark pressing against his bare chest, and stared gloomily out through the leaves at the retreating figures of the two men and one lizard. Why, oh why did his father have to die?

New tears sprang forth unbidden as Trunks thought further on his father's death. He didn't believe for a second that his father was killed by common robbers. Vegeta was too proud and too strong for that kind of death. He SPARRED with the King, Goku himself! And Goku was known as a renowned fighter, if only to make up for his lack of ruling ability. His father would easily beaten off even five, ten, twenty worthless thieves.

No, it was Cold and Frieza. It had to be. The timing was far to coincidental for them. After Frieza had been hounding Vegeta for years for a debt unpaid, then finally realizing the stubborn man wouldn't give in, they had arranged for Vegeta to meet a little 'accident' no doubt. Then, once he was out of the picture, they could waltz in a claim they could take the entire domain as payment. And Trunks would be helpless to do anything, as a mere 10 year old.

With thoughts of anger and grief clouding his mind, the stress along with the summer heat caused the young teen to drift off into a light sleep.

-whyohwhydoesn'tthestupidpagebreakworkarrrrrghitssofreakingannoyingsosorrybutthislittlerantwillhavetodoforthepagebreak-

A/N: what am I'm gonna say…

**Kitsune**

Then save your breath and don't say anything.

You know, you're pretty mean for a muse…sniff sniff

(review!)


	3. an angel from the heavens not really

Disclaimer: _insert really witty statement creatively saying I don't own Dragonballz_

A/N: Okay, I'm sorry but this chapter came out really short. O.o. Hehe, please don't be mad! Sorry it came so late too. Blame writer's blockage and numerous other factors (coughihateschoolcough).

:kitsune: coughexcusescoughcough.

Hey...

Review replies:

BballAnimeLover89: haha, sorry sorry it came so late. But glad to know you're watching my story!

Galacia: Yay, I'm glad you can still see the original parts. I always thought it wasn't very creative to take the exact dialogue and actions from a movie and just change the character names. Too predictable, you know?

Okay, that's all (cuz, sniffsniff i didn't get that many reviews...) so without further ado...

**Chapter two! (hey that rhymed...okay shutting up now)**

"And that," Yamcha finished, "is the bookstore, also marking the boundary of Vegeta's- err, I mean, Cold's domain."

"So what do you think?" Frieza asked proudly. "Is it not more splendid, more complete than when it belonged to Vegeta?" The lizard asked more to Gohan than to Goku.

"What happened to the free lands that Vegeta had left?" Goku asked tightly.

"Free lands?"

"The meadows, the forests, the streams…you've built over them, haven't you?" Goku growled. Gohan started, glancing uneasily at his father. The grief in his father's voice was very slight, but he had been able to detect it. He KNEW he shouldn't have let his father come here…

"Well…th-they were in the way, and such a waste of space they were! There could've been some things more productive, more helpful to the people!" Frieza blustered.

"What about the environment? What of the importance of the very air we breathe that is now being mucked up by your factories, your businesses, your dumping into the rivers?" Gohan asked just as frostily as his father had.

"Your…your majesties, I was only trying to…"

Goku sighed. "Our apologies on our criticisms, Frieza-san." He said formally. "It is not our business to dictate how you run your domain. Come on, Gohan, we should be getting back."

The two men turned to leave, with Frieza flitting behind them with his useless prattlings.

-whyohwhydoesn'tthestupidpagebreakworkarrrrrghitssofreakingannoyingsosorrybutthislittlerantwillhavetodoforthepagebreak-

With the sound of voices, Trunks slowly awoke with a sore neck from laying his head down in a rather uncomfortable position. Slightly disoriented, he briefly wondered where he was.

"-Gohan, we should be getting back."

Trunks jerked awake, remembering where he was; up in a tree, because Frieza had told him to keep out of sight. Unfortunately, the sudden movement along with his slight disorientation of suddenly waking up was enough to make the teen lose his balance and go plunging down.

"Ack!" Trunks yelped as he felt himself falling. Vainly, he grabbed for anything to stop his fall. The branches kept slipping out of his grasp, leaving bloody scratches on the palms of his hands as well as his bare torso. Looking down, Trunks could only watch in horror as he got nearer…and nearer…to Gohan himself.

"Gyaaah!" Twin cries of surprise and pain rang out as the falling teen collided with the prince. The two lay groaning on the ground, with Gohan clutching his head and Trunks on top, blinking stupidly up at the leaves, not believing what had just happened had happened. Goku, meanwhile, after staring and gaping for a bit, settled for laughing uproariously while Frieza just seethed.

"Ah, um…yes, this is Tr…Traks! Yes, Traks, our stablehand. Haha, now what on earth was he doing up in a tree?" Frieza gave a fake laugh while going over various punishments he would give the disobedient teen. "Traks, you stupid boy, get off the prince!" Frieza suddenly snarled, glaring jealously at the position the purple- haired teen was in.

Trunks blushed as he realized just how intimate they must've looked. He blushed even further as he got up off Gohan's ass, which was what he was sprawled over.

"I'm…I'm so sorry, your highness…I…uh, you're okay right? So sorry…" Trunks stuttered, so flustered he didn't even try and help as Gohan got up.

"It's okay, although it isn't every day I have a random person suddenly fall on top of me from a tree…"

Trunks gulped, feeling EXTREMELY self-conscious standing in nothing but a ragged pair of thin boxers, as he took in the three people staring at him, one with extreme venom, the other two with amusement. Briefly, a memory flashed through his mind of a similar scene of when he had first bumped into the prince and the king. Although that time was better than FALLING on the prince.

The flashback was interrupted, however, as Gohan spoke to him in that familiar tenor voice, asking the same question he had asked seven years ago.

"Are YOU okay?"

"Y-yes, and I'm REALLY sorry about that…I was…I was just, er, gathering apples!" Trunks fumbled, glancing up and hoping that the tree was an apple tree. He sweat dropped; it was an oak tree.

"Er, that is, checking if the tree had apples! That's all!" He quickly corrected himself, blushing hotly at the disbelief on the prince's face and amusement on the King's face. God, this was way too familiar to be comfortable…

Apparently, Gohan seemed to remember the scenario as well as a flash of startled realization showed briefly in his eyes. "You look…very familiar." Gohan said slowly. "Have we met before?"

"Now, how could that be?" Frieza cut in, laughing uneasily. "Traks just came here about a year ago, looking for work to support his family in…in the farmlands. I don't believe you've ever been here before then, HAVE you, Traks?" Frieza glared menacingly.

"Er, no, of course not." Trunks quickly agreed. He began inching away, thinking if maybe he spared Frieza further embarrassment by leaving now, maybe his punishment wouldn't be too bad.

"Um, I should…go tend to the horses. Enjoy your stay here, your majesties!" Trunks gushed out, then turned to quickly leave.

"Wait!" A warm hand encompassed his own, preventing his escape. Turning, Trunks nearly melted as he found himself only a few inches from those soulful, deep, dark eyes.

"I…uhhh…" Trunks was very aware of how stupid he sounded just then, mesmerized by the prince's handsome face.

Gohan frowned, the expression marring his perfect features. "I know I've seen you somewhere before…it's kinda hard to forget purple hair, you know."

"Err, well, lots of people can have purple hair…sort of." Trunks replied weakly.

"Hey, I know!" Goku suddenly shouted, nearly making Trunks jump in surprise. "You're that little squirt we bumped into on our way to see Vegeta!"

"Um, I don't know what you're talking about!" Trunks panicked. Frieza looked like he was going to blow his top anytime soon. He had to get out of there, NOW. "I have to get back to work!" With that, Trunks forcefully yanked his hand out of Gohan's grip and ran off, his eyes burning with embarrassment and regret. Why was he even getting his hopes up? He was just some insignificant, weird looking servant with purple hair. Frieza was right…he'd never be on the same level as Gohan.

Gohan watched the teen run off, sure in his heart of hearts that he was the same as the boy they'd run into seven years ago. Why would Frieza lie about that and say he'd been here only a year?

'And he got a lot cuter too…' Gohan blushed at the random thought. Well, you couldn't blame him after a half-naked hot guy suddenly fell on you from the heavens, so to speak.

-whyohwhydoesn'tthestupidpagebreakworkarrrrrghitssofreakingannoyingsosorrybutthislittlerantwillhavetodoforthepagebreak-

"GOHAN! GOKU!" Chichi screeched, wielding her almighty pan of doom™. "Where the hell have you been!"

"Sorry mom! We, uh…" Gohan raised his hands defensively, glancing to his father for assistance. Goku, however, was too deep in thought about something to help his son out. 'Traitor.' Gohan thought resentfully.

"Weelll!" Chichi demanded. Goten giggled from behind her, always finding it entertaining when his oh so responsible brother was the one in trouble.

"We were just walking around!" Gohan said evasively.

"Walking WHERE?"

"You know, here and there…"

"And where would THAT be?"

"Gyeh heh…"

"GOHAN!"

Gohan sighed, giving up. "Vegeta's domain."

Chichi froze, glancing at her husband. However, he seemed more perplexed than depressed. "Goku?" She ventured.

"Eh?" Goku said distractedly.

"What is it?"

Goku shook his head, to the relief of Chichi. So he wasn't depressed after all. "Gohan, I know I've seen that purple-haired kid before, I just know it."

"Duh, he was the same kid we ran into seven years ago!" Gohan said impatiently. "Weren't you listening?"

Goku shook his head. "No, it's not that…he…reminds me of someone, but I can't put my finger on who."

Gohan shrugged. "I dunno, dad, Frieza did say he's a servant there…don't know where else you could have seen him. Maybe you just saw him on one of your outings and he just stuck in your head because of the hair."

"No, Gohan, it's not the hair that's familiar…its his face." Goku slapped his forehead, frustrated. "Where did I see him before!"

"Goku, you don't have to let it bother you that much!" Chichi said fussily. "Would you like something to eat? Maybe that'll help!"

As his parents walked away, Gohan sighed and plopped down on a couch. "Wassamatter, niichan?" Goten asked, mouth full of cookie crumbs.

"Goten, don't talk with your mouth full." Gohan said automatically. Goten only stuck his cookie covered tongue out, eliciting a chuckle from his older brother.

"Just saw someone I knew a long time ago." Gohan said lazily, although he hadn't actually KNOWN the purple haired teen. But he had wanted to, and still did.

"Mmm." Goten shrugged disinterestedly. "Guess what? Mom's gonna hold another ball!" Goten said excitedly, spraying crumbs everywhere.

"Goten, that's disgusting. And why would mom do that?" Gohan disgustedly flicked the chewed bits off his shoulder.

"Haha, you'd never guess, niichaaaaan." Goten teased in a sing song voice. Gohan rolled his eyes.

"Then tell me, I don't feel like going through another one of your guessing games."

"Myeh, fine, I'll give you a hint. It's mainly because of YOU."

Gohan sat up, startled. "Me? Why?"

Goten grinned impishly. Luckily, the cookie crumbs were gone. "Guess!"

Gohan grumbled, but relented. "Okay, fine. My…birthday?"

"Niichan, your birthday was over a month ago."

"Well, she could've been trying to surprise me. Ummm…dad coming out of his depression?"

"Niichaaan, you're not guessing hard enough." The younger man whined. "Besides, I said this was about YOU, not dad. Come on, Gohan, you know I hate mom's parties…but why am I so excited about this one?"

Gohan thought hard before it hit him like a ton of bricks. "Oh hell no…" He muttered.

"Oh hell, YES!" Goten crowed, laughing. "Boys, watch your language!" Chichi called from another room.

"You're kidding me, right?"

Goten shook his head. "Nope nope nope! Hahaha, you're gonna hafta get MARRIED!" Goten snickered, poking his brother in the head. "Man, you're getting so OLD, niichan!"

"MOOM!" Gohan hollered, shooting up so fast he nearly knocked his brother down. "MOOM!"

"Honey, you don't have to shout." Chichi said irritably, popping her head from her work room where she was no doubt doing some paperwork.

"Goten says you're holding a ball for me…"

"Oh, that." Chichi waved her hand, going back to her present task. "Well, I did talk about it for a while, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise."

"But- !"

"Oh come on, Gohan, you're 25, for heaven's sakes. You need to get a spouse SOON." She said impatiently.

"But you don't need another heir or anything, what's the hurry?" Gohan complained.

"Dear, it's not just about heirs, its for tradition. Besides, with the way you're going, I doubt I'm going to get any heirs from you." Chichi scowled as Gohan just blushed. "Anyway, royalty ALWAYS marry at 25 or earlier."

"Stupid royalty…" Gohan mumbled.

"Well, I noticed you hadn't made any effort at all to find someone." Chichi frowned without looking up. "By your age, you should have at least had someone in mind."

For a brief moment, a certain purple-haired teen flashed in his mind, but it was immediately gone, leaving Gohan wondering what all that was about.

"Well…what if I do?" Gohan said bravely. "Then you don't need to do this entire ball thing!"

"If you do have someone in mind, then the ball wouldn't hurt anyway. It'll be a good opportunity for you to spend some time with him and fall in love and all that fun stuff." Chichi said matter-a-factly while Gohan blushed again.

"In fact, to make this even more interesting, I think I'll have this one as a Masquerade." Chichi continued.

"WHAT!"

Chichi grinned, looking up. "Oh come on, Gohan, it'll be fun! Besides, it'll give you a good chance to see if you love that certain someone enough to be able to recognize him without seeing his face. And if you can't, well then, you'll know he's not the one for you."

"But…that's stupid." Gohan muttered angrily. "And it's highly unlikely we'd be able to actually find each other long enough for me to decide that, with such a big party and so many people."

"Well, do you have someone in mind?" Chichi demanded.

"…"

"I thought not."

"It's still stupid." Gohan mumbled.

"No it's not, and you're going to be masked too." Chichi said sternly. Gohan groaned, wondering where all these strange ideas came from. "I won't have my son married to some leech who only decided to love you because of your position and money. I want an honest son-in-law who'll love you for who you are." Chichi sighed dreamily. "Of course, I never had that problem with your father because he didn't even know who I was or what a princess was for that matter…Ah, silly Goku, he thought marriage was a food." Chichi giggled in a rather uncharacteristic manner.

Gohan sweat dropped. That definitely sounded like his father alright.

"Although he always did seem closer to Vegeta than to me…" Chichi muttered darkly. Before she could go off on another one of her rants, Gohan hurriedly reminded her of the current topic of discussion. "But one ball won't be enough for me to fall in love with someone." He said. "So it'll be useless!" he said triumphantly.

"So we'll just have more than one!"

"Aaaargh…"

-whyohwhydoesn'tthestupidpagebreakworkarrrrrghitssofreakingannoyingsosorrybutthislittlerantwillhavetodoforthepagebreak-

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEEEEEEEEEW!

:kitsune: you better listen, even I'm getting a bit worried...oi, now get away from that knife tsuru-chan...

PLEASE PURTY PLEASE WITH ACHERRY ON TOP!


	4. getting ready for the ball

Disclaimer: Standard stuff, I don't own the DBZ characters but I do own the design for Trunks's outfit! Maybe I'll try and draw it sometime...

Review Replies:

hey - um, wow, well I certainly know what you want!

BballAnimeLover89 - Haha, I'm glad you found that funny. I was inwardly laughing myself at that part, just imagining everyone's expressions when it happened. And don't worry, Trunks can hold his own for a bit against Frieza, as you'll see in this chapter.

Gogeta27 - Er, you're not dead yet are you? pokepoke It has been a while since I've updated...imagine the headlines, LOCAL MALE/FEMALE DIES FROM LACK OF UPDATES FROM A LAZY FANWRITER, boy would that be pleasant...

DBZ freakGoten - Thanks, glad you liked it! As for updating, yeah I can get lazy, and I'm not promising anything on the speed of my updates but I'll certainly try!

Nekosune - Yaaaay, food! gasp POCKY! I luurve pocky. EHehe, sorry its been so long since I've updated, guess I missed the birthday by like...several months...o.O Hope you had a happy (veryveryveryveeeerry belated) birthday!

Hated Angel with BrokenWing - Thanks a lot! Sorry I took so long!

CrowKaiba - don't worry, don't worry I'm not abandoning this fic! I like it too much, I just got lazy for...several...months...anyway, here's the update! better late than never!

**Chapter 3 - getting ready for the ball**

"YOU."

Trunks didn't even bother to turn his head to look. He knew what was coming to him, and he wasn't going to beg for forgiveness or anything. He had even left his shirt off so his only shirt wouldn't be ruined if Frieza had been too impatient to wait.

"What the FUCK did you think you were doing?" Frieza growled , tightening his white hands on the thick coils of a whip.

Trunks smirked, turning ice blue eyes to stare hatefully at his master. Well, if he was going to be punished anyway, might as well leave his mark.

"What, you think I fell out of the tree on purpose? You think I actually AIMED for Gohan? Oh yeah, I definitely did that; I timed it exactly so, so I'd land exactly so, just so I could piss you off." Trunks said sarcastically.

Frieza bristled in anger. "You don't seem to understand your situation, boy." He sneered. "Allow me to enlighten you." With a whistle and a crack, a scream rang out piercingly from the stables, one of many that were to follow.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Trunks, why didn't you just hide like I told you to?" Yamcha asked mournfully, dabbing gently at the raw back of the young teen. It was a rather disgusting sight, the whip marks practically leaving trenches of blood that pooled in Trunks' back. Even now, a few hours later, some of the bleeding hadn't stopped.

"I…did…" Trunks hissed in pain. "I just fell out of the tree by accident." Trunks sniffled. He was proud to say that it was at least an hour until he had finally broken down into tears, but it was long enough to infuriate the lizard even more. Still, he had his pride to defend.

"Why didn't you just get down to hide somewhere more suitable after the King and prince were out of sight?" Yamcha scolded.

"I fell asleep! It wasn't my fault!"

Yamcha sighed, flicking back his long hair so it wouldn't touch the teen's bloody back. He continued dabbing at the grotesque wounds with the same rag, the water he was using already a deep crimson red.

"Well, that was certainly not the way you'd probably imagined meeting the prince for the first time." Yamcha joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Trunks blushed, muttering inaudibly.

"What was that?"

"That wasn't the first time." Trunks mumbled out.

"It wasn't?"

"No. I ran into him the…" Trunks swallowed. "The day Papa died."

"Oh." Silence reigned.

"Hey, Yamcha?" Trunks asked after a while of musing.

"Hmm?"

"Have you heard of the rumor about a ball coming up?"

Yamcha's dark eyes narrowed, and his previously gentle tone all but disappeared. "Oh NO YOU DON'T, Trunks. Don't you even THINK about trying to go to that ball! Frieza would have an absolute fit, and I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to kill you for it."

Despite his pain, Trunks couldn't help but crack a small, but mischievous smile. "So there IS a ball."

Yamcha could have smacked himself right then if he hadn't been busy with tending to his friend's wounds. He sighed, dumping out the bloody contents of the bucket and reaching for another, filled with clean water. "Yes, there is, they announced it a few days ago. But PLEASE Trunks, I'm begging you…do NOT try and go. I'm serious; Frieza or Cold WILL kill you if they find out. Please don't risk it!" Yamcha pleaded.

"But…it'll be my only chance to even get CLOSE to Gohan at all!" Trunks protested. "If its true that this ball is for him to find a mate, this could be my last chance to see him up close before he gets married." The lavender haired teen nearly wilted at the thought of the dark haired beauty marrying someone else. Because there was no chance in hell that Trunks would even catch the prince's attention, much less his heart. But he'd do anything just to SEE his crush, even it was to see him pick a spouse.

"Is one glance really worth your life, Trunks?" Yamcha demanded harshly. He finished wiping the last cut, the bleeding finally stopping, and forcefully threw the bloody rag into the bucket with a splash. "Oh that's wonderful, go see your crush get engaged, that's okay, as long as you get to see his face. Then come home to be kicked and beaten into your grave. But that's okay, as long as you get to see Gohan-sama's FACE. Honestly, Trunks, I know you like the guy, but you hardly know him! All you know is how beautiful he is! I'm sorry to sound harsh, but its just a crush that you'll soon get over. Don't risk your life for something that isn't worth it, something that won't even stay with you for the rest of your life."

"What do you know!" Trunks yelled angrily, getting up from his position from laying on the table. "Don't tell me what I can feel and what I can't! I'm not gonna let Frieza rule my life anymore than he is right now, and that includes who I like and who I don't. I won't let that lizard scare me, and I absolutely will NOT let him break me. I promised that to myself the day he came into MY domain. You KNOW that, Yamcha!"

Yamcha shook his head, holding a tightly clenched fist to his forehead. "I do, Trunks, I do. But sometimes you take things too far, and you act on impulse a lot. Please, just use your common sense-"

"I AM, and its telling me there's nothing wrong with trying to see Gohan one more time." Trunks interrupted. Carefully, he pulled his shirt on, mindful of his wounds. "You keep saying Frieza's going to catch me. I'll just make sure he doesn't." Without waiting for another response, Trunks quickly strode towards the exit of the stable, not wanting to prolong the argument any longer.

Yamcha sadly gazed at the retreating back of his charge friend. "Does Gohan-sama really mean that much to you? Is he really worth you life?" He asked sorrowfully. Trunks stopped without turning around. When he spoke, his voice was barely audible.

"I know you're just trying to look out for me, Yamcha, and I'm grateful for that." He said softly. "And its true, I don't even know Gohan-sama all that well. But its not just that; this is just another example of Frieza trying to control me. If I let him do that, I won't feel like I'm living a life at all. I can't let that happen."

Yamcha sighed, then smiled in resignation. "You always were such a stubborn little brat." He said affectionately. "Alright, you little tramp, you got me. I'll help you any way I can."

Trunks turned, blue eyes shining in gratitude. "Thanks, Yamcha."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

For the next few days, Frieza was especially harsh towards Trunks in his treatment as well as his tasks. This was to expected, of course, but it was a big problem for the young teen because then he had less time to try and raise money for himself to buy a suitable outfit for the ball. On top of that, he still needed to figure out how to disguise his hair so no one, especially Frieza and Cold, would recognize him.

Thankfully, Yamcha kept true to his word and helped the young man out immensely. The servant had talked to several of his trustworthy friends of Trunks' predicament and through them, found a more or less skilled tailor with reasonable prices. Now, all that was needed was what costume Trunks wanted.

"Maybe you can go as one of those fighters, you know, the ones who throw stars and stuff…what are they called…? They cover themselves up a lot, especially in black, including their head and face. That'll be helpful for your hair." Yamcha suggested, the two meeting late one night. During the day, the two couldn't communicate as Frieza seemed determined to keep Trunks as busy as possible.

Trunks grimaced at his friend's suggestion. "You mean ninja? Yeah, they do cover themselves up a lot, but that's kind of boring; all I'd be would be someone covered in black except for my eyes."

"Well, keep that one in mind, it's a good option for someone who doesn't want to be recognized. Besides, Trunks, we need a simple design anyway; we can't afford anything more. We can't be-"

"I know, I know, you told me like a million times. We can't be picky." Trunks nodded, sighing. "But a ninja is kinda weird for a masquerade; I mean, don't they usually cover up the eyes instead of the mouth for disguised balls?"

"So?" Yamcha grinned. "Nothing wrong with being different. Besides, if no one's gonna recognize you, they can't criticize you; that'd be rude. And I always thought your eyes were the best part of your face, anyway."

Trunks blushed at the compliment. No one had really cared to comment on his looks before, especially with his purple hair. "Th-thanks." He stuttered, slightly glaring as the servant grinned widely at his embarrassment. "But I really don't want to go as a ninja."

"Oh alright, fine. I always thought they were cool, don't see why you don't." Yamcha grumbled grudgingly.

"But I like the idea of covering my mouth and nose instead of my eyes." Trunks said quickly. Sure, he'd stand out, but maybe, just maybe, that would give him a tiny bit of a chance of being noticed by Gohan. He didn't say this out loud, of course.

"Well, I've seen a lot of foreigners in my life." Yamcha mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I remember one particular tribe of nomads where the guards often covered their faces."

"What kind of people were they? And what were their clothes like?" Trunks asked.

"They looked Arabian. What really stood out about their clothes was that they had a lot of gold embroidery." Yamcha winced. "That'll be expensive to duplicate."

"What else?" Trunks asked eagerly.

"Their clothes were all white, except for the embroidery parts. The edges of their sleeves, shirts, hoods, and pants were where the embroidery was. The hood was actually part of a cape, I think." Yamcha wracked his brains to remember every detail. "There was a piece of cloth attached to the hood that covered their mouths. They had a lot of jewelry too. And a gold sash across their torso and around their waist. White slippers. Their pants had a really neat design, but I can't really remember it."

"That sounds perfect!" Trunks cried excitedly. "Do you think you can describe it good enough to the tailor?"

Yamcha smiled at his friend's excitement. "Sure. Those people stuck out like sore thumbs, so I doubt I'll ever forget what their clothes looked like. Although, I'm going to have the tailor make the sleeves and pants a bit shorter to save some money. The cape can be shorter too; maybe up to your waist instead of all the way down to your ankles. At least then, it won't get in the way when you dance."

"Dance? I won't be dancing." Trunks said, confused. "I won't have anyone to dance with."

Yamcha's eyes twinkled slyly. "Not even Gohan?"

Trunks' eyes widened. "But I won't have a chance!"

Yamcha laughed. "I was pessimistic at first, but now that I'm helping you, I can't help but hope you might snag your lover boy." The black haired man chuckled at the teen's blush. "I really hope you do, Trunks." He said sincerely.

Trunks grinned impishly. "Only cuz you're hoping that once I go to live in the palace, I'll take you with me away from those disgusting lizards." He joked.

Yamcha laughed again. "Yeah, that too."

"Anyway, how much will the costume cost?" Trunks asked, frowning. He didn't have very much money; he had a tiny 'allowance' so to speak, from Cold, whenever the older lizard was feeling merciful. But it definitely wasn't enough to buy an entire custom made costume, and he didn't have the time to work for more money.

"I'm guessing around seven Don."

Trunks' eyes bulged. "SEVEN DON?" He spluttered.

"But, but!" Yamcha said hastily. "I think I can get it for five, or maybe even four, if I play my cards right. Not to mention, if we conserve cloth by cutting the sleeves and cape short for example, maybe I can even lower it to three and a half."

" 'Play your cards right?'" Trunks asked dubiously. "I never knew you were good at bargaining."

Yamcha waved a hand dismissively. "No, no, not bargaining. The tailor is a good friend of a good friend, and from what I've seen so far, he's a pretty decent man. He seemed pretty sympathetic to your problem, so he might let you off cheap."

"You TOLD him about MY PROBLEMS?" Trunks yelped. "That's just wonderful, let the entire KINGDOM know I like Gohan!" He growled.

"Don't WORRY, I told him that you liked someone who you knew would be going to the ball." Yamcha reassured.

"Fine." Trunks relented grudgingly. "What about the jewelry?"

Yamcha smiled mysteriously. "Leave that to me."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A/N: Urrgh, really short chapter I guess, sorry. I just didn't know where else to stop. Anyway, please read and review, and I'm working on drawing the outfit for Trunks so people can get a better idea of what it looks like.


	5. unexpected obstacles AKA green guys

Disclaimer: Same as always, I don't lay claim to DBZ or any of its characters or the story of Cinderella.

A/N: Wow, it's been almost a year since I've updated last, ;; I'm really really sorry! But I swear, it hasn't gone to waste, as I present to you this super long chapter…kind of. AND I finished drawing the picture of his outfit, now all I have to do is figure out how to get it onto my computer. I'll have to find a friend who can scan it in for me, so please bear with me!! Thanks.

Review Replies:

Kai – lol, don't you mean "please update?" Why would I review my own story?

Sess-goddess – Well, Trunks isn't exactly the passive one in this fic like the original Cinderella girl cuz I hate super-passive guys, but thanks!

BballAnimeLover89 – thank you, and sorry for the year long wait -.-;;

Galacia – yay, I love you, you've stayed with my fic since the very first chapter which was posted oh-so-long ago::hugs::

Legolas19 – thanks a lot!

Ryougabriellucile – wow, that's a lot of compound names in your penname. And like I said before, I have finished drawing it, I just need to scan it in. But please don't stop reading just because you've seen the picture!!

amytherat – funny, I have a friend named amy too, and she's in love with rats. o.O I'm glad I was able to get you to appreciate this pairing, and YES I SWEAR I WILL FINISH THIS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO! I promise I won't give up on it, it's actually my favorite fic so far!!!

Chibified Youkai 101 – thank you!

CrowKaiba – whoops, I guess I failed you, since I didn't update in like a year…

SilenceIsGolden13 – lol, you know, I didn't think about that…I really should have had Gohan wear his Saiyaman outfit. But you'll find out what he is gonna wear (don't get too excited though, he didn't put much effort into it like Trunks did…lazy Gohan) And of course, like all fairy tale endings, Frieza WILL pay in the end, don't you worry!

Ms. Trunks Briefs – Hm, I've gotta learn that dance to perform for all of MY favorite authors.

DC667 - ::sheepish grin:: yeah, I do need to work on that…

Enjoy!

**Chapter 4 – Unexpected Obstacles**

"Mom, pleeeeaaase don't make me do this!" Gohan pleaded for the umpteenth time, following Chichi around like a whining puppy.

"Gohan, would you stop it!" The Queen growled irritably, waving a bouquet of flowers menacingly. "It's really not that big a deal, and no matter how much you hate parties, which is odd for a healthy young man like you, this one will surely be fun!" She turned back to her task, fixing the flowers onto the banister.

"But I'm REALLY not interested right now!" Gohan tried again, staring imploringly into his mother's eyes. Although he was beginning to lose hope; if Chichi was already beginning to set up the decorations around the palace, it was plainly obvious how determined she was to have this ball.

"Well, you'll change your mind once this ball is through!" Chichi retorted.

"Yeah right. This'll be the same as any; I'll end up making polite, emotionless conversation with all the important people, while they secretly stare at me and scrutinize whether I'll make a good king or not." Gohan grumbled.

"Gohan, this'll be a MASQUERADE. A MAS-QUE-RADE." Chichi said exasperatedly, as if talking to a child instead of a full grown man. "No one will recognize you, you'll be free to find someone without the burdens of being who you are."

"Oh yeah, that'll work." Gohan threw his hands up in frustration. "I'll talk to someone, get to know them real well in the space of five minutes. Then, when they find out who I am, all personality will immediately disappear whenever I'm around to be replaced by sugar-coated sucking up. Yeah, that'll make for the PERFECT marriage."

"Gohan, you are driving me CRAZY!" Chichi screeched, whipping around and throwing a flower at her son's head. "Would you just GIVE IT A TRY!!"

Gohan meeped. "Okay, okay!" He cried hastily, removing the buttercup from the masses of his hair. "But can you promise me that if I don't find anyone, you'll let me pick someone at my own pace?"

"Oh, you'll find someone." Chichi growled, snatching the flower back. "There'll be more than one ball after this one."

"But if I STILL don't find anyone?" Gohan pressed.

Chichi pressed her lips together, but relented. "Fine." She growled out. "But a fat chance that's gonna happen, if I've got anything to do with it."

Gohan rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Can you go get Krillan? Tell him to announce the time of the ball." Chichi gestured to the doors.

"Which is?" Gohan asked, walking down the stairs.

"In three days."

"Three days?!" Gohan yelped, turning back around. "Why's it such short notice? People need TIME to prepare, you know!"

"Aw, they'll manage." Chichi waved a hand dismissingly. "And so will you, since you still haven't picked out a costume yet. So you better hurry and get Krillan to cry out the message, and get to work on picking your costume. Jump to it!"

"Fine." Gohan grumbled.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Over the next few days, the entire kingdom was abuzz with excitement after the crier, Krillan, had noisily informed the townspeople of the time of the ball. The new ball was the only topic of gossip on the lips of every young person. It had been a while since a big party from the palace, thanks to the spell of depression their king had been experiencing. Perhaps this party was a celebration of sorts to cheer him up.

But the main purpose of the ball that almost everyone knew about was for the oldest prince, Gohan, to finally pick someone as his soul mate. With the rumors confirmed, every young male and female scrambled to find the best costume they could find. Considering his preferences, however, it looked like males would have a higher chance.

Which Trunks was well aware of.

"Taadaaa!" Yamcha cried, giving a wide, exaggerated bow to present the newly made costume to his young friend. They were again meeting in the stables, late at night, and in a record time of two days, the tailor Yamcha had gone to had finished making Trunks' outfit.

"Wow, Yamcha, it looks great." Trunks marveled, tentatively feeling the soft white cloth.

"Yeah, even if it is a little plain." Yamcha remarked, holding the costume up carefully on the hanger so as not to get the pants dirty from the stable floor.

The costume looked almost exactly as Yamcha had described it a few days before. True to his promise, though, the sleeves and pants were cut short to be of three-quarter size instead of full length. Looking closely, the ends of the shirt and pants had fine lines of intricate silvery designs. (Yamcha had explained gold thread would have been more expensive.)

"So these are the shirt and pants." Yamcha said, indicating the full body length costume. Carefully, he folded them back into the bag, and pulled out several pieces of cloth. "Now, this is the hood and cape. You'll especially need this because this will hide your identity. Look here, Trunks, you need to know how to put it on." Yamcha held up the small cloak, which Trunks estimated would reach his waist if he had put it on. It too had tiny bits of silver embroidery on the edges.

"You clasp this around your neck here," Yamcha showed Trunks a tiny silver button pinned to the edge of the cloak, "And this piece of cloth here," Yamcha fingered a small flap attached in a strange arrangement in the hood. "Will cover your face. I'll show you later how it'll do that." Yamcha returned the cloak back into the bag and held up the second cloth, a silvery blue sash. "This goes across your torso and around your waist. Kind of like a patrol belt, which it actually is, since this costume was actually worn by guards. And these are your shoes."

Trunks marveled at the light shoes, admiring the slight sheen it gave off. They were more of cloth coverings, as they weren't stiff enough to be actual shoes. They too had silver embroidery.

"Sorry, but I couldn't get you real shoes." Yamcha shrugged apologetically. "They were too expensive, so I just had the tailor make you those out of the leftover cloth, then glaze them to make them a bit stiffer. You might not want to dance too much in those. You know, they'll-" The gardener was abruptly cut off as a mass of purple hair and dirty clothes enveloped his being.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, Yamcha!" Trunks cried happily, squeezing his friend as hard as he could. "I can't thank you enough, all these are all so great!" The young teen babbled on, eyes shining.

Yamcha would have smiled had he not been choking to death. "Erck…you're welcome…although you don't have to kill me in the process…"

Trunks released his gasping friend, chuckling embarrassedly. "Heh, sorry. But really, Yamcha, these look awesome. Thank you SO MUCH." Trunks said sincerely.

Yamcha grinned, putting the shoes back in the bag. "You thank me now, but wait till I show you the best part."

"There's more?" Trunks asked, lifting an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yep! You can't forget the jewelry!" Yamcha said cheerfully.

"But how could you have afforded that after all this?" Trunks asked incredulously.

The black haired man shook his head. "I didn't buy them Trunks." Out of the bag, Yamcha pulled out a small blue purse with the initials BB embroidered on the front. Trunks' eyes widened.

"That's…"

"Yes. These are your mother's." Yamcha said. Opening the purse, he pulled out two bracelets in the shapes of dragons, their long thin bodies twining to make the piece of jewelry wearable on the wrists. They curled upwards, so they would twist around from the wearer's wrist to the middle of the forearm. The smallest details could be seen carved into the dragon figures; down from the tiny sharp teeth bared menacingly in slightly open mouths to the flashing layers of silver scales. Tiny gems of sapphire were set into the dragon heads as the eyes, twinkling brightly even in the stable's dim light.

"They're…beautiful." Trunks whispered, awed.

"They are. Unfortunately, Bulma never really wore them; they really weren't her style, and Vegeta had gotten them for her when he hadn't known her tastes in jewelry yet. But she kept them anyway to give to you, actually."

"And…and Frieza never found them?"

Yamcha shook his head. "Nope. I took them from Vegeta's room when those lizards came in, trying to save whatever I could for you."

Trunks gingerly held the two bracelets, marveling at how heavy they were due to their authenticity.

Yamcha suddenly chuckled, pulling the young teen's attention away from his mother's bracelets back to his friend. "What is it?"

"That's not all I have for you." Returning to the purse, Yamcha pulled out once more two more bracelets. However, these two looked completely different from the first set.

These too were silver, but instead of dragons, they were just plain bands. Hanging from the circle of silver were small silver and orange spheres that contrasted sharply against the silver band from which they hung from with their bright color.

"These are actually anklets." Yamcha explained. "Yes, they look kind of weird because of the orange, but I thought you might want to wear them. Your mother gave them to your father as a playful payback for giving her dragon bracelets that she'd never wear. She knew Vegeta hated the color orange thanks to Goku-sama's sense of fashion." Yamcha laughed to himself at a private memory. "But your father treasured them, even if he never admitted it. I thought you'd like to wear something from your father as well as your mother, you know?"

Trunks grinned, examining the little spheres. "Yeah, I'd like that. Even if orange doesn't really go well with my costume, It'd be nice for a part of papa to be with me too. Hey, are these stars in here?" Looking closely, Trunks could spot tiny red stars in the orange balls. "Wow! They're so tiny, but I can still see them!"

"Yeah, its actually kind of cool. The orange balls on this one," Yamcha pointed to one of the anklets, "each have one, two, three, or four stars in them. The other anklet only has three orange balls which have five, six, or seven stars. They're called dragonballs, which conveniently matches your bracelets. Dragonballs are from one of the kingdom's legends. Maybe I'll tell the story to you someday."

"Tell me now!" Trunks said excitedly, observing the balls to see if they really did have certain numbers of stars in them.

"Well, you really should get some rest, Frieza might work you pretty hard again…"

"No no, I want to know the story!" Trunks insisted like an excited child instead of the teen he really was.

"Okay, fine; it was your father's favorite story too. It's about this dragon that would grant any wish…"

And so, Yamcha ended up spending the night telling a bed time story to an eager young teen.

_--the day of the ball--_

"Um, niichan?" Goten ventured hesitantly, as his brother was clearly in a foul mood.

"What?" He snapped, whipping his head around to glare at the interruption.

"Are you sure…you want to wear that?" Goten asked. "It's kind of plain…"

Gohan snorted. "Good. The less attention for me, then."

"But…" Goten eyed his brother's costume. The top copied the shirt of a samurai, while the bottom, instead of a hakama, was just loose fitting pants tightened at the ankles. He wore plain black shoes and a black mask over his eyes. All in all, it wasn't really all that great and Goten pouted.

"You're such a party pooper, niichan. You look so boooooring." Goten whined.

"Easy for you to say, who won't even COME." Gohan shot back. "When are the guests coming anyway?"

"Well, its," Goten glanced up at the sky through a window. "around noon. They should be coming in soon. Say, niichan, how are YOU coming in? If you stay in here and the first guest arrives and sees you, he'll probably know its you."

"I'll come in from a back door when it's crowded." Gohan answered. "Actually, if I had my way, I'd never come at all, and let all those guests wander around, wondering which person is me, while I just enjoy myself in my room." Gohan grumbled.

"Gohan-sama, a guest has arrived." One of the guards from the door announced.

"Well, that's your cue, niichan. Better go!" Goten said cheerfully, ignoring the venomous look his brother shot him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Okay, now Trunks, we have to wait until Frieza and Cold leave first." Yamcha whispered to the teen as the two worked side by side in the garden.

"When are they leaving?" Trunks whispered back from the side of his mouth while pulling out carrots.

"Soon, I hope. You'll need to wash up, which you can do in the pond. Not the best hygienic manner," Yamcha sneaked an apologetic glance, "but it'll have to do."

"Oh my god, Yamcha, how will I get there?" Trunks suddenly yelled, standing up. Why didn't he realize this crucial point before! The Vegeta Domain wasn't exactly the closest to the palace.

"SHHH, Trunks!" Yamcha hissed. The teen immediately fell back down again, mumbling his apologies. "I'm sorry, Trunks, but you're going to have to walk."

"Are you crazy!" Trunks cried softly. "It's gonna be at least two hours before I get there! And I'll be tired!"

"I know, I know!" Yamcha glanced worriedly in the direction of the two lizards, who were talking in front of their carriage. Luckily, they didn't seem to notice. "Keep your voice down, Trunks! Look, you have no choice; there's no other way to get there, I couldn't arrange for a carriage. All the money went to the costume."

"I'm…sorry, Yamcha…I'm being ungrateful, aren't I?" Trunks said softly, staring at the ground as he worked.

"It's okay." Yamcha assured. "At least it's not raining. You'll walk barefoot, of course, so you don't ruin the shoes. Once you get there, just do your best to get your feet clean; find a fountain, use the grass, just wipe your feet somewhere before you put the shoes on."

"Right. Oh! They're leaving!" Trunks watched out of the corner of his eye as the two lizards finally stopped talking and mounted the carriage. Before the horses pulled it away, Frieza's masked head popped out of the window and called to Trunks, "I want the gardens finished, the entire mansion cleaned, my clothes ironed, and the pond weeded. When I get back, I'll be checking!" Frieza hollered as the carriage pulled away and out the gates.

Trunks winced at each command thrown at him. Of course he'd never get them done, as he'd be at the ball too, but for each chore unfinished, he could expect quite a few lashings.

Straightening, Trunks shook a fist in the direction the carriage had taken. "Damn you, you stupid lizard!" He shouted, knowing they couldn't hear. "Go rot in hell!"

Yamcha placed a comforting hand on Trunks' shoulder. "Don't worry too much, Trunks. I'll do them for you."

Trunks turned, gratitude plain on his face. "Thank you so much, Yamcha. You're doing so much for me."

Yamcha smile dropped. "I'm sorry, Trunks, but I know I won't finish them all. You might still be punished."

Trunks hugged his friend in reassurance. "That's okay. You're doing more than enough for me, who am I to complain about that?"

Yamcha smiled, but quickly pushed Trunks away. "Come on, what are you waiting for?" He said playfully. "A certain prince is waiting for you! Hurry up and get washed, and I'll help you get into your costume."

"Right!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

'Oh my GOD, why are there so many people!' Gohan thought, appalled. Did all these people really hope to get his attention and become his bride/groom? Maybe it was a good idea of his mom's to mask himself as well; otherwise, he'd be suffocated by the masses of people that would undoubtedly swarm about him.

With his mask on, however, no one recognized him as he slouched disinterestedly on a bench. People passing actually shot him a few nasty looks, mistaking him for a commoner who had merely come to get drunk. Well, that was better than being harangued for being the prince.

Bored, Gohan watched disinterestedly as a few of the guests danced to the orchestral music. His mother would no doubt throw a fit right now if she saw he was making no effort to get to know anyone. But he'd be damned if he was going to be forced to marry now!

Speaking of which, Gohan glanced towards the two thrones that were occupied by his parents. Chichi looked liked she was having the time of her life, excitedly pointing out to Goku which guest she thought Gohan would choose. Goku was slouched almost as badly as his son was, clearly bored out of his mind but still trying to pay attention to his wife's prattling. Gohan felt bad for his dad; at least he didn't have to listen to his mother's useless conversations for the entire party.

Sighing, Gohan lazily turned his head to watch the entrance, where a few more last minute guests were trickling in. He spotted two white tails amongst the small crowd at the door. He grimaced as he realized who they were, even with their masks. 'Frieza and Cold.' Shuddering, Gohan stood up. Maybe it would be better to make the best of the night and at least find someone friendly to talk to. Yeah, that didn't sound like too bad of an idea.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Trunks cursed so explicitly that his gardener friend would have blushed. He had stubbed his toe for the umpteenth time, and it had HURT. Not to mention, both his feet ached from walking on gravel for two hours straight. Why couldn't the roads be more even?!

'Alright, calm, Trunks, calm.' The teen thought to himself, checking his belt to make sure the shoes were still safely tucked in. 'This is all for Gohan. All for Gohan, that's all you need to think. You're almost there…sort of.' The young man sighed in frustration as he saw that he still had at least half a mile to go. It was still pretty close though, even on walking terms, but the young man was tired and extremely cranky. He would have run to the palace if he could, but he knew he couldn't because his sweat would ruin his costume. It was lucky it wasn't too hot, or he would have sweated running OR walking.

On his way there, he had left his hood and mouth covering down. Hopefully, no one who was going to the ball would see him, although that wasn't likely since he was probably the only one going there two hours late. Everyone else had been too excited to wait so long, not to mention hoping to snag the prince before anyone else could.

A sudden horrifying thought occurred to Trunks. This was a masquerade ball, what if Gohan himself was going to be masked? But then, people wouldn't know who he is and he wouldn't be able to pick his spouse. But the thought still stayed in the teen's mind, leaving a sense of dismay still lingering in his thoughts. If the prince was going to be masked, than all this -all of his and Yamcha's work- would be for nothing!

Such a depressing thought spurred the teen to go faster. Within a few minutes, he was in sight of the palace doors, and he quickly glanced around for a fountain or anything to wash his feet.

Oh, even better - a few feet away was a well. Quickly, Trunks rushed over and pulled the already full bucket that the previous user had generously left. Hastily, he dunked both feet in and shook them as dry as he could. His anklets jingled in protest at the sudden movements. He then put his shoes on and made his way to the palace, a knot of nervousness and excitement twisting in his stomach. This was it - the fruits of all of Yamcha's hard work for him!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gohan sighed again. He hadn't found anyone who was just interested in normal conversation; no, everyone was either too excited to talk to a mere stranger, only talked about Gohan and hoping to marry him, or only talked about hoping their CHILDREN would meet and marry him. What a dull lot his mother had for subjects.

Too disappointed in his failure at finding a friend, the young prince didn't notice the commotion at the entrance doors.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I'm sorry, sir, but your costume is unacceptable." The green-faced guard said tonelessly.

"What?" Trunks asked, alarmed. "Why?"

"Due to safety measures, no costumes with hoods are allowed." The second guard explained, eyeing said piece of clothing with mistrust.

"But why?" Trunks asked again, despair creeping up into his voice.

"It hides too much of the wearer's face. Thieves and criminals could easily hide under such a guise." The green guard answered.

"What the hell?" Trunks said angrily. "How is that any different from eye masks? You can't just tell criminals by their hair and mouth! This is a masquerade, you're SUPPOSED to hide your face!" Trunks yelled, his voice slightly muffled by his mouth covering.

The guards only shook their heads. "We're extremely sorry, sir -" "Like hell you are!" "- but all you really have to do is just get an eye mask. Then you can come back."

Trunks clenched a fist tightly, gritting his teeth in anger. He was so close, so CLOSE, and the smallest thing like a stupid security measure was getting in his way. It wasn't FAIR.

"Hey, what's going on here, Piccolo?" Came a curious young voice. Trunks turned to see an innocent face peering over the guard's shoulders. He strongly resembled Gohan and Trunks realized he must be Goten; the second prince. But he wasn't wearing a mask; did that mean Gohan wasn't too?

"This guest is wearing a hood; it hides too much of his face and could easily disguise a dangerous criminal."

"Or, it could just be one of your guests trying to be original." Trunks growled.

Goten laughed, giving the green guard, Piccolo, a playful shove. "Aw come on, Piccolo, you're such a stickler sometimes. Let the poor guy in, you're just being paranoid! As usual."

Piccolo humphed, but obeyed reluctantly. As Trunks passed, he could practically feel the suspicious eyes boring into his back. He heard Goten still talking to the scary guard. "You're too protective of niichan sometimes."

Trunks breathed a sigh of relief. The younger prince had really saved him back there.

"Hey! Hey, hood-guy, wait up!" Trunks' mouth quirked at the strange nickname.

Trunks turned, grinning widely at the other prince, forgetting he couldn't see it. "Thank you very much, your highness; you really saved me back there."

Goten waved a dismissing hand. "Ahh, don't worry about it. Just don't call me 'your highness', it's Goten. From the sound of it, I'm not much older than you anyway. What's your name?"

Trunks began to automatically respond, before he caught himself. Goten realized his mistake and he laughed embarrassedly, putting a hand behind his head in the familiar gesture of his father. "Ahaha, oops, of course you shouldn't tell me who you are. This is a masquerade."

Trunks nodded, relieved the prince wouldn't insist on knowing who he was.

"Okay, well, how about, how old are you?" Goten led the two to a nearby bench, dropping down to sprawl out in a very unprincely manner.

Trunks sat down too, although a bit more dignified. "17."

"Ooh, cool, I'm 16." Goten giggled. "Too bad, you're kinda young for Gohan, if that's what you came for."

"Too young?" Trunks asked despairingly.

Goten laughed at the obvious disappointment in the other's voice. "Haha, well, actually I dunno. Niichan hasn't really shown much interest in anyone, so I don't even know what age he prefers. But I'm just assuming its his own."

"Is he not wearing a mask too?" Trunks asked.

"Actually, he is. And if you're gonna ask me to tell you which one he is, I'm not gonna say." Goten grinned impishly. "That's for you to find out, as a guest."

Trunks made a disappointed noise, to which Goten laughed at again. "I'm not wearing a mask because I actually didn't plan on coming; but I saw you in trouble and thought I'd help out. Piccolo can be such a pain, sometimes." The young prince got up, dusting imaginary dirt off his pants. "Well, now that you're okay, I'm gonna go now. Have fun, and maybe you'll be the lucky one to end up with niichan!" Goten winked. "It'll be great too, we can play pranks on him together."

Trunks felt a certain kinship rise up with the other prankster. "Haha, yeah, what with me being the greatest prankster and all." He boasted, feeling bold.

A mischievous glint shone in the other's black eyes. "Oh really? Think you can beat me?"

"Ohhh, maaaybe…what was your worst?"

Goten tapped his chin thoughtfully, sitting back down again. "Hmmm…I put a frog in niichan's soup. How's that?"

Trunks laughed, wondering how the older prince had reacted. "Not bad, not bad. But I put a frog in my friend's PANTS."

Goten rolled over laughing. "Oh man, you're right, that is better. Okay, fine. I sprayed 'I'm an idiot' on the back of one of my dad's shirts, in bright neon pink. Boy, you should've seen my mom's face when she saw dad wearing it."

Trunks chuckled, picturing the king in such a ridiculous shirt. It seemed like the kind of thing Goku-sama would fall for, being so oblivious and all. "How dignifying for the king. But if I did something like that to my dad, he'd send me to clean out the fireplace or something. He was really really strict, and loved his reputation."

"Really? Bummer, that probably means you couldn't play pranks on him."

Trunks grinned, though Goten couldn't see it. "Wrong. See, that's what the ultimate prankster's all about; a good challenge. And my dad definitely was a challenge; he gave harsh punishments, but they were worth it. My best one…" Trunks paused dramatically, grinning again as he saw that he had the younger man's rapt attention. "My best one was dying his hair…bright purple. With sparkling glitter."

"Oh MAN!" Goten cried delightedly. "That must've blown him away!"

Trunks snickered, fondly remembering the memory. "Yeah. He made me wash the kitchen tables though."

"Okay, now I REALLY hope niichan picks you. We could have the BEST time playing pranks together; and yours are better than mine, anyway." Goten admitted.

"Well, I did have a lot of time to think about them, since I was an only child." Trunks replied. "But maybe I should go and see if I can find Gohan, ne?"

The two got up, smiling at each other. "Yeah, what am I wasting your time here for? Go find him!" Goten encouraged cheerfully. "Although I know it's not fair to the other guests, I'll give you a hint; Gohan hates balls. Good luck!" Goten waved as he walked away, disappearing into the crowds.

Trunks waved back, calling out his thanks. He smiled, glad to have made friends with the younger prince. Not only was it a good connection to get to Gohan, but he genuinely thought Goten would make a great friend, especially with their similar interests in pranks. Although, they were a bit old for that now. If only he'd known Goten when he was younger.

But back to the present. Gohan was still wearing a mask, but now Trunks had a big clue of finding him, thanks to Goten's hint. All he had to do was find someone who looked like they didn't want to be here. Piece of cake, right?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A/N: So, hoped you like! And check out my new fic, Invisible Descent, another Gohan/Trunks! A lot angstier though...


	6. Hidden Identities

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! ANYTHING::runs off sobbing hysterically::

A/N: Ehh..nothing to say really, besides the usual apology for my horribleness at updating quickly ::sweatdrop::

Review Replies:

Clarissa – way to make your demands there, eh? If only it were that easy… ::clicks EZ button:: poof! More action::clicks EZ button:: poof! More drama::clicks EZ button:: poof! More romance::clicks EZ button:: poof! More love!

Daisy.insane-angel – oho, that would be interesting if Frieza made that mistake…maybe I'll make an omake of that sometime

Too troublesome – lol, he could have been, but I needed him to pick something boring and uninteresting to reflect _his_ feelings of being at the ball.

Galacia – yay, my faithful reviewer!! Yeah, I had fun coming up with the background story thingie. And the pranks. Who's to say I didn't pull those pranks myself?? ...muahaha.

Everyone else – thanks so much for reviewing and putting up with my extreme laziness of never updating! XP

**Chapter 5 – Hidden Identities**

Gohan watched interestedly as his brother talked animatedly with a hooded stranger. Goten seemed to be getting along well with the other; that must've meant the other guy was a pretty decent one since his brother was usually a pretty good judge of character.

Although, he wondered why Goten was here. And if he was here for the ball, why he wasn't wearing a proper costume. He would've gone up and asked, too, except he knew that would give away his identity.

In addition, he wondered why the guest was wearing a hood instead of just an eye mask. Why was he trying to hide so much?

Seeing Goten leave, Gohan decided he might as well satiate his curiosity. It wasn't like he had anything better to do, and with luck, maybe this person would be interesting to talk to. Hopefully, they wouldn't be one of those typical airheads who only talked about Gohan and Gohan only.

"Excuse me." Gohan said politely, tapping the shoulder of the hooded figure. He/she turned around, showing that he/she had also covered their mouth. Interesting.

"Yes?" From the voice, Gohan concluded it was a male.

"I was just wondering…how come you're wearing a hood?" Gohan asked again as politely as he could. Looking closer, he could barely make out a pair of bright blue eyes in the shadow of the hood.

"That's really not your business to know." Came the smooth reply. Gohan raised an eyebrow. It wasn't really meant to be hostile, but it wasn't very welcoming either.

Laughing easily, Gohan decided this guy would be an interesting person. It didn't seem like he'd be the type to gush over the oldest prince nonstop. "Forgive my curiosity, I just thought it was an interesting idea. It matches well with the rest of your costume." Gohan eyed the outfit, admiring the subtle silver embroidery and the twin dragons twining up the man's arms.

The other man seemed to relax once he knew Gohan wouldn't press about the hood. "Thank you. It's actually something my friend saw on a couple of foreign guards."

"Oh, that's cool." Gohan said, dropping into less formal speech. He looked down at his own outfit and chuckled embarrassedly. "I can't say the same for my own costume. I didn't put all that much effort into it."

Trunks watched the stranger warily, knowing he had to be careful of keeping his identity. With the other's first inquiry of his hood, he was immediately put on guard, although the man seemed to be friendly enough.

"That's okay." Trunks replied easily, observing the samurai/ninja-ish outfit. "Mine's pretty plain too. I was almost going to go as a ninja too."

"So I suppose you're here also to see if you can capture Gohan-sama's heart?" Gohan teased. He had decided the easiest way to make conversation was to just pretend he was a fellow suitor.

Trunks blushed under his hood. "Um…I guess." He said shyly, a sudden change from his previously self-assured attitude. "The most I was hoping for was to just get a glimpse of his face since I know it'd be really unlikely for him to even FIND me." Trunks sighed in disappointment. "But I heard that he's masked too."

"Oh, that's too bad." Gohan said sympathetically, making sure his voice didn't shake from laughter at the irony of the situation. "But he's not the only one here. Care to dance?" Gohan gave an exaggerated flourished bow, holding out an inviting hand.

Trunks laughed at the ridiculous looking bow, but hesitated. If he danced with this guy, he'd be wasting a lot of time that he could be using to look for Gohan. Yamcha had explicitly instructed him to leave at eight to allow ample time to get back before Frieza and Cold did. The earliest those two would leave would probably be around eleven or twelve, so Trunks needed to make sure he got back before then.

But then again, this guy wasn't so bad. For some reason, despite his initial cautiousness, he was easy and fun to talk to. It wouldn't hurt to dance just ONCE.

"I'd like that." Trunks answered lightly, accepting the hand. As the taller man led them to the dance floor, Trunks asked something that had been slightly bothering him. "I was wondering though…aren't you unnerved or anything that I hide my face? It must be hard to act so casually around someone who you can't see the expressions of."

Gohan laughed easily, positioning the two into a typical dance position. "Oh, that's not something to worry about. So you might be horribly disfigured, have only one eye, or droopy lips, it doesn't really matter to me. The only thing I'm hoping for is that you're younger than me. So sorry for being superficial that way." He joked, winking through his eye mask.

Trunks warmed at the response. This man was truly a decent guy; he didn't care at all what his partner looked like, as long as the personality was okay. If he didn't have his mouth covered, he would have given the taller man his brightest smile. "I'm sure I am. I'm seventeen."

Gohan nodded. "Only fitting that I give you my age. I'm 25. Hope I'm not too old for you." Gohan joked, although there was hope in his voice that Trunks didn't miss.

He quickly reassured his dance partner. "That's not too old." 'After all, Gohan's that age, so why should I mind?' He said to himself. "I'd prefer that, actually." 'Because of Gohan.'

Gohan laughed, a rich, warm sound. "Well, aren't I lucky, then?" The two swayed to the music together, although a bit awkwardly because Trunks kept his head down. It was an uncomfortable position to be in when you were supposed to gaze lovingly up at your partner, but the young teen knew his hood might slip off if he lifted his head too high. Although he longed to observe the stranger to see if he could figure out who he was.

A sudden thought occurred to Trunks. 'Could this be Gohan?' But he immediately dismissed it. Goten had said Gohan hated balls, and this man seemed to be truly enjoying himself. Not to mention, it was highly unlikely Gohan would spot him among the hundreds of people here.

After a few more songs, during which the two talked easily about various topics, Trunks politely declined the next one, saying his feet hurt. Which indeed they did; the soft cloth shoes were not meant to take too much stress, and the teen worried they would tear anytime soon. Glaze could keep cloth together for only so long.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Gohan apologized profusely, leading his partner off the dance floor. "I guess I got too carried away, I was having so much fun."

Trunks blushed, even though this wasn't Gohan. Still, he was a pretty nice man. "Me too. I haven't really danced that much before."

Gohan raised an eyebrow as the two sat down on a bench. "Is that so?" He smiled warmly. "It certainly didn't seem like it."

Trunks would have smiled back had his mouth been visible but it wasn't, so he merely nodded in response.

"I heard the queen is holding more than one ball." Gohan suddenly spoke, watching the other man's reaction. When he cocked his head to indicate he was listening, the older man continued. "Will you be coming again?"

Trunks subconsciously glanced towards the dance floor where he knew Frieza was dancing with some poor black haired guy he probably guessed was Gohan. Would he be able to pull this off again?

"Probably." Trunks answered. It shouldn't be a problem; as long as he left after Frieza and Cold and returned before they did, they'd never know. Yamcha would be able to find someplace to hide his costume.

Gohan's eyes lit up in delight. "Will you be wearing the same costume again?" He asked hopefully.

Trunks chuckled at the other man's excitement. "Yes, I will. It is the only one I have, anyway."

"That's great!" Gohan exclaimed. "I'll wear mine too, so maybe we can find each other again, ne?" He winked.

Trunks nodded, although he was beginning to feel a little troubled. Was his love for Gohan weak enough that he was beginning to fall for a complete stranger that he had barely met? Was Yamcha right? Maybe his seven-year old crush really was only just that; a crush. How could he be so fickle when he swore to himself that it was true love?

And he had wasted so much time, he realized. Trunks glanced at the clock and was dismayed to see that it was nearly eleven. It would be cutting it pretty close to leave at eleven or later, so it was best he leave now.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I have to go now." Trunks said apologetically to the charming stranger. He smiled under the covering as he saw how obviously disappointed the other was.

"So early?" Gohan asked mournfully, pouting.

Trunks laughed at the childish expression on the grown man's face. "Yes, there's something I have to do."

"What? Look for Gohan?" The man teased.

Trunks almost nodded, but caught himself in time. No, he wasn't going to look for Gohan, he was trying to leave! He shouldn't give in to temptation and stay any longer. Tonight had been wasted, but if the man was right and another ball would come up, than he could look for Gohan then.

"I'm sorry." Trunks apologized again.

"Awww, fine." Gohan grumbled grudgingly. "But I'll be looking for you next time!" He called as Trunks walked through the crowds.

Trunks merely waved in response as he quickly made his way back to the entrance. Giving a quick bow to the still glaring Piccolo, Trunks made his way down the stairs and back home.

* * *

Gohan watched wistfully as the stranger made his way through the masses of people to the entrance doors. He smiled, knowing that if he asked, his mother would hold the second ball for him. With that, he'd definitely be able to find the man again, and they could get to know each other even more. Although it was kind of funny that the other man talked about looking for Gohan to him. 

Laughing to himself, the young prince decided this ball wasn't so bad after all. The Masquerade part was actually making it interesting, as his mother had claimed. Maybe he should listen to her more often.

The rest of the night was rather boring, definitely not as fun as when he was with the hood-guy (Gohan unknowingly used the same reference as his brother). He ended up dancing with a girl named Videl with a rather strange last name that he couldn't remember, and a white lizard that he recognized as Frieza. Frieza himself, of course, hadn't recognized him, especially since his hair was in a different style. But it seemed the white lizard was determined to go through every black haired male in the hopes that he'd finally get to Gohan.

Finally, FINALLY, the ball ended. Gohan was rather cranky by the end, having declined numerous dances from that stupid white lizard. It seemed Frieza was suspecting him of being the prince, and it was really getting annoying with the stalking. But finally, the last guest left at one and the poor prince could finally rest.

"Unnghh…" Gohan groaned, flopping onto a couch.

"SO, NIICHAAN!" Goten suddenly popped up next to his brother, hollering right into his ear.

Gohan yelped, falling off the couch in surprise. "Goten!" He growled. "Don't DO that!"

"Hahaha, whatever. So how was it? Huh? Did you find someone?" The younger prince bounced up and own eagerly, incessantly poking at his older brother.

"Maaaaaybe." Gohan said playfully, pulling himself back up onto the couch and away from this annoying fingers. Lazily, he watched the servants cleaning up, trying to ignore his pestering brother at his side. Which of course, didn't work.

"Come on, man, tell me! Tellmetellmetellmetellmeeeeee!!!" Goten bugged.

"Okay, okay, fine! I danced a bit with that hood-guy, okay? Satisfied?" .Gohan finally relented

"Details, I want DETAAAILS!"

Gohan sighed, running a hand through his black locks. "There's nothing else to say. We just talked and danced, that's all. It's not like I'm gonna kiss someone I've only known for one night. Besides, he had his mouth covered, it wouldn't have been very romantic to kiss him through a piece of cloth."

"What a bore." Goten sighed. Suddenly he perked up. "Did you know that guy used to play pranks, too?" Goten said excitedly. "If you pick him, I'll have sooo much fun! So think about him, niichan!" Goten begged.

Gohan laughed tiredly. "That's a better reason NOT to pick him if I want to keep my sanity from being lost to pranks. He can't be worse than you, though."

"Oh, yes he can!" Goten squealed. "Guess what he did? Guess guess guess!"

Sometimes, Gohan wished his brother had another outlet for his boundless energy. That energy usually went to pranks, but because of the ball, he didn't have the chance for that. So now that energy was being directed at him and giving him a major headache.

"What? Just tell me, Goten."

"He DYED his dad's hair PURPLE!" Goten cried out, laughing. "Can you imagine that? Bright purple with pink glitter! Hahaha, I wish I'd thought of that before!"

Something about those words niggled at Gohan instead of making him laugh. Or cringe at the embarrassment that must have caused. Purple hair? What did that remind him of?

Suddenly, the image of that stable boy from Frieza's who had fallen on him popped into his mind. He had completely forgotten about the incident with the ball occupying his mind and hadn't thought once about the boy. But now that he did, he was wishing he could see him again.

'But you've got someone else to pay attention to.' Gohan argued with himself, thinking of the hood-guy. 'Don't worry over someone you'll probably never see again.'

Goten was still going over what he thought was a great prank. "Can you believe it? I would NEVER dare to dye anyone's HAIR cuz they'd never get it out and they'd probably be really really really mad. But the hood-guy was so brave! He's so awesome! He inspires me, you know, maybe my pranks should be kicked up a notch."

Gohan started, eyes wide. "Oh noooo. Nonononono. Your pranks are horrifying enough as it is, they don't need to get any worse. Don't you dare go around dying people's hair!" Again, something niggled at Gohan's mind. Dying hair…dying hair…what was it, something about dying their father's hair?

_"Of course I'll bring Goten over sometime!"_

_"But Dad, mom might not like that -"_

_"Chichi won't mind, or won't know…anyway, I'm sure he'd love to meet your son. What's his name?" Goku asked._

_"Trunks. And the good for nothing brat is scrubbing the kitchen tables right now for dying my hair."_

_Goku laughed uproariously. "Hahahaha, again? What color?"_

_"None of your business, now will you leave already?" Vegeta asked, pissed._

_"Sure, sure. See ya!" The two men left, the older waving cheerily at his friend._

_"So I guess that purple haired kid outside wasn't his son." Gohan remarked._

_"Guess not, but he sure looks like a 'Trunks' to me!"_

'Frieza lied about the stable boy - Traks? - only coming a few years ago, because I know that was the same guy dad and I ran into. Maybe, just maybe, he's also Vegeta's son? Traks sounds close to Trunks.' Gohan watched disinterestedly as his brother got bored of him and ran off to bug the servants. 'No, that's not likely; the kid was probably already a servant at Vegeta's Domain, and for some reason, Frieza didn't want us knowing he'd been there longer. But then again…the purple hair really isn't common at all…whoever he was, the stable boy was kinda hot…' Gohan clutched his head, feeling his headache becoming worse. "What am I thinking?" He muttered to himself. 'Am I such a player that I want to see Traks, hood-guy, AND that kid from seven years ago?' "Aaarrrgh…" Gohan decided it was too complicated to think about right now, and he deserved some much needed rest. He could ponder about Traks/Trunks/kid seven years ago later.

* * *

A/N: cackles evilly ohohoho, the IRONY... poor Gohan 


	7. I Will Not Break

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or Cinderella story

A/N: Awww, I missed this fic!!

Review Replies:

AerythShistafeh – cool name, where's it from? Anyway, thank you so much, I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far. I hope you won't be disappointed by this next chapter, it's definitely not too funny …cuz we can't forget what an ass Frieza can be! DX

Kitten – Nope don't worry, I'll never give up on this one! Tis my favorite, hehe. And hopefully you're reading this, cuz I couldn't email you since you didn't leave me your email address!

**Chapter 6 – I Will Not Break**

"Well? How did it go?" Yamcha demanded the minute Trunks stepped into the stables. He had already taken off the hood, shoes, belt, and jewelry and bundled them all up into one bunch.

Trunks smiled dreamily. "Pretty fun, I've gotta say." He answered happily.

"Well? Details! I want the details!" Yamcha insisted, taking the bundle from Trunks's arms and putting it into the bag.

Trunks laughed as he pulled off his shirt. "It's not all that great you know. I didn't even find Gohan."

"So why are you so happy then?" Yamcha asked, confused, as he took the shirt too and put it in the bag. "And don't sit down! You'll get the pants dirty, change first!"

Trunks immediately jumped up at the command, forgetting he still had the pants on. He quickly took them off, leaving him in nothing but his boxers, and handed them to the gardener. Spotting his old clothes in the corner, the teen quickly put them on, as the night draft was a bit chilly. "Well, I did meet someone nice, and we danced for a bit. Well, actually, a lot. That's why I didn't have a chance to look for Gohan."

"Trunks, you're getting a little side-tracked here." Yamcha joked. "I thought you only liked Gohan?"

"I do!" Trunks insisted. "But he asked me to dance, and was really nice, so I couldn't refuse or anything. Oh! I also met Goten-sama! Did you know, he's a year younger than me, and he plays pranks just like I used to!"

Yamcha rubbed his hands together in glee. "Goten-sama! That's a pretty good start, I'd say." Trunks sweat dropped. Obviously, the black haired man hadn't heard anything else he'd said about the younger prince.

"So anyway, I think there'll be another ball coming up. Do you-"

"Well, of course you're gonna go!" Yamcha interrupted fervently, waving his arms about. "You need to get Gohan-sama to fall in love with you, marry him, and get us out of this mess! Then you can claim your domain!"

Trunks smirked. "Yeah, then Frieza and Cold will get what they deserve."

"Speaking of which, I managed to do all the chores except weeding the pond. I don't know if Frieza will really care about that one, though, but he might just be looking for a reason to whip you again." Yamcha said, worried.

"It's okay. Thanks for everything else, Yamcha, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be drowning in the very pond with your head still stuck in the mud, that's what." Yamcha laughed, recalling a rather amusing memory.

Trunks scowled. "Hey, I didn't fall in there on purpose, okay? Dad pushed me and I just ended up falling head first."

"Haha, but you should've seen the way your legs were flailing! It was the funniest sight ever!"

"Yamcha…just shut up." Trunks grumbled. "I should go weed the pond. Are you gonna help or just laugh your head off all day?"

Yamcha chuckled, wiping imaginary tears. "Just kidding, just kidding. Yeah, I'll help; come on."

Before the two took a single step, however, a loud bang caused the two to jump in surprise.

"Weeelll, Trunks, I see you haven't even finished the few requests I asked of you. It looks like you've failed me once again." Frieza sneered, his white face twisted into an ugly expression.

Both servants immediately looked to the ground, one in fear and the other in suppressed anger.

"That can't go unpunished, now can it? What should I do with you?"

Trunks didn't answer.

In three quick strides, Frieza had walked up to the purple-haired teen and grabbed him roughly by the hair. "Answer me when I ask you a question!"

Trunks glared, ignoring the pain from his scalp. "Go rot in hell, you fucking bastard."

Frieza immediately slapped the teen as hard as he could, but did not release his hair. Trunks's head whipped to the side violently, a small trickle of blood making its way down his chin. His scalp burned from his hair being pulled taut from the abrupt motion of his head.

"That wasn't the right answer. I'll give you one more chance. What should I do to you?"

"Let go of my hair, that's what. I know you're jealous of it, but really; trying to steal mine won't do you any good." Trunks smirked. It always was a sore point with Frieza that his species couldn't grow hair.

The lizard violently threw the impudent teen down to the floor. Trunks gasped as his body suddenly collided with the hard ground. Before he could make a move to get up, a heavy body settled on his, a cold hand easily holding both his wrists down and a long tail keeping his legs immobilized.

Turning, Frieza hissed to the horrified spectator. "Leave."

Yamcha hesitated, unwilling to leave his friend in such a situation. "Go, Yamcha. Please." Trunks begged, not wanting his friend to be punished for his own temper.

The gardener obeyed, eyes drooping sadly as he quickly hurried out the stable.

Once alone, Frieza turned back to his prey, grinning maliciously. "I had a great time tonight." He purred, using his free hand to slowly trace Trunks' jaw line. The teen kept silent, unwilling to give the lizard the satisfaction of hearing his fear.

"Gohan-sama was playing hard to get; he too was wearing a mask. But I found him; I know which one he is." Frieza laughed as Trunks was unable to suppress a shiver as the cold hand moved across his sensitive neck.

"He was quite keen to dance with me, I must say." Frieza continued, whispering seductively against tan skin. Trunks vainly tried to turn away from those ice-cold lips, only to have them follow his move. "Quite keen indeed."

Trunks suddenly cried out as sharp fangs suddenly pierced his skin, nibbling viciously at his neck. "W-what the h-hell are you doing?" Trunks choked out, struggling to get his hands free so he could punch the disgusting mouth away.

"Oh, just showing you what it was that Gohan-sama wanted." Frieza said lazily, licking his lips free of blood.

"Fucking sick bastard!" Trunks growled. Surprisingly, he managed to rip his hands free and throw a punch as hard as he could at his hated enemy.

The lizard's head cracked backwards, but not a second later, a strong hand grabbed again at the purple hair and slammed down against floor. Trunks cried out in pain as his head collided against the ground, and weakly he tried to loosen the hold that pulled at his hair.

"You just don't learn, do you, pet." Frieza chuckled, relishing the disgusted shiver Trunks felt at the nickname while wiping his mouth where the punch had landed. "You can't hurt me, you weakling. But it's fun when the prey keeps his fire; yours, I see, is no less dimmer than it was before. I like challenges; lets see if I can put out that flame of yours."

Trunks shivered as he felt those ice cold hands move lower and lower. Helplessly, he turned his head and shut his eyes tightly. "No…"

* * *

"So…mom…" Gohan ventured slowly, wary of the triumphant smirk on his mother's face. "Are you…holding another ball?" The prince asked as casually as he could.

"HA!" Chichi suddenly yelled, scaring her poor son nearly out of his pants. "I TOLD YOU SO!"

Gohan winced, knowing his mother was right. "Okay, okay, you were right. Geez, you don't have to rub it in so much."

"But I do. Especially after all that fuss you made, driving me crazy too."

"Fine, so I was wrong." Gohan rolled his eyes. "The world has come to an end. But seriously, mom, are you holding another ball?"

"You crazy, Gohan? Of course I am! My son's finally showing proof that he does have hormones, despite being several years late - honestly, Gohan, you were supposed to go through this stage when you were a teenager - anyway, you think I'm going to pass up this chance?" Chichi retorted, returning back to her task of scribbling something on a notebook.

"Oh, don't exaggerate." Gohan said exasperatedly. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Planning for the next ball! I want to make it even better than this one, but it'll still be a masquerade." Chichi said, gnawing thoughtfully on the end of her quill. "Say, Gohan, do you think one more ball will be enough to get to know this person enough?"

Gohan snorted. "Of course not!"

"Well, it must be annoying to keep meeting this person, thinking you like him, but not knowing what he looks like. So you're sure you're going to stick to this one guy?"

"Mom, you make it sound like I've already decided. It's only been one night, who knows, it might turn out this guy is really a jerk!" Gohan explained, annoyed at his mother's interrogations.

"I'm sure he's not, I trust both your and Goten's intuition. So this is what I'll do. We'll have one more masquerade ball, then a third one. In the third one, everyone will wear their same costume, but without the mask. That's when you'll get to see who it is you picked. Fair?" Chichi asked.

"It's not fair period to force me to marry someone I'd only know for three nights, but that's fine, because I know you won't do anything else." Gohan agreed grudgingly. Secretly, however, he thought that maybe three nights was enough to get to know the hood-guy. Even if it wasn't, he could always spend time with him after the balls and get to know him a bit more until/if they marry.

"Alright then!" Chichi said cheerfully. "The next ball will be tomorrow, same time! Tell Krillan!"

"So soon?!"

* * *

"Trunks, you really pushed it this time." Yamcha said sadly as the two brushed Ichigo together. Frieza had wanted to use him for the carriage, despite Yamcha trying to explain the pink horse wasn't meant for that.

"I kn-know." Trunks winced as he tried to move without causing any pain. Even hours after last night, he still felt so sore and…with no other way to put it, ripped.

"Will you be able to walk to the palace?" Yamcha worried. "The crier announced the second ball to be tonight."

Trunks cursed. "So soon?!" He cursed again as a clump of straw nearly made him trip. "I can't walk all the way there like this!"

"Should I come with you?" Yamcha asked worriedly, stroking at the soft pink fur.

"Do you think…do you think maybe we could ride a horse there?" Trunks asked hopefully. "Then you can ride him back."

Yamcha's eyebrows furrowed. "That's risky, and ontop of that, it'll hurt you even more. But I guess that'll be better than walking the entire way, and as long as we leave at least half an hour after Frieza, he shouldn't see us arriving. But you'll have to walk back; I can't wait outside for you in case Frieza or Cold sees me."

"That's okay. Thanks a lot, Yamcha." Trunks said, although he was inwardly dreading it. It would definitely hurt walking the 6 miles back, but he knew his friend was doing all he could.

"No problem."

* * *

A/N: Just something completely random I learned today: ants always fall on their right side when intoxicated XD


	8. Ultimate Indecision

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. I also don't own Ella Enchanted, which much of this chapter's plot is inspired from. See if you can recognize it!

And just a small rant incoming about Ella Enchanted movie, you can skip if you want:

Gawd, the movie was so damn horrible, I was so angry it totally ruined everything about the original. It made me absolutely HATE Anne Hathaway. The whole movie was an Ever After wannabe, ruining both its own name and insulting that of Drew Barrymore's wonderful portrayal Ever After. And the stepsisters were entertaining in their selfish ways, they still had unique personalities and quirks, whereas the movie just made complete fools out of them. AND they changed the plot! Ruined the wonderful relationship between Char and Ella! They changed the most pivotal moment of the book, when she overcame her curse to deny marrying Char in order to save him...they were probably too lazy to think of a creative way to portray such an intensely mental battle in a movie, so they took the easy way out and PUT A DAGGER IN HER HANDS. Gawd. SO STUPID. The whole movie was a JOKE.

Okay end rant. Sorry about that...

Other notes: As you've probably noticed, the humor side of the story has started dwindling down quite a bit :/ If I could add a third genre to this fic, it would be angst by now, heh. So I apologize if most of you were reading this for the funny part. Siiigh, I don't know how I managed to retain a sense of humor when I first started this...must be college burning me out, phooey. Anyway, ignore my ramblings, hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 7: Ultimate Indecision**

Trunks winced as he painfully slid down the horse. Yamcha had been right; the bumpy ride was indeed harsh on his sore body, and with every trot the horse took, the teen could barely keep himself from crying out in pain. But he'd made it more or less in one piece, and he waved gratefully at the retreating figure of his friend riding back.

Slowly, he made his way to the door, aware of the glare the green guard gave him.

"You again." He growled.

"Yes…um, you're gonna let me through, right?" Trunks asked as meekly as he could. Let the guy think he was harmless, and he'd be able to get by.

"Hmph." Piccolo only shrugged and stepped aside. Trunks nodded his thanks and quickly scurried inside.

It wasn't as crowded as it was when he arrived yesterday, since then he'd arrived much later than he had today, thanks to the horse. Almost immediately, he spotted Frieza and Cold on one side of the room; Trunks made his way to the other side.

Sitting down on the same bench he'd sat down on with Goten yesterday, Trunks waited. For what, he didn't know. For the man from yesterday? Or for someone who might be Gohan? Watching the people dancing or eating or talking merrily, it didn't look like any of them could be the party-hating prince.

"Hey, so you came!" Came a cheerful voice. Trunks didn't know whether to be excited or annoyed; excited because he really liked the guy, but annoyed because he wanted to spend this ball looking for Gohan.

Figuring he couldn't very well be rude and just push the guy away, Trunks inwardly sighed and decided he'd try to humor the man for a bit.

"Yeah, I did. So you were able to spot me that quick?" Trunks asked. "Were you looking for me?"

Gohan laughed embarrassedly. He moved his hand to put it behind his head, but quickly stopped himself as he realized that might give away his identity. "Haha, I guess I was. I hope you don't mind?"

Trunks couldn't refuse the hopeful looking eyes, and quickly reassured him that he didn't.

Gohan grinned happily, and once again gave another flourishing bow. "Shall we dance?" He asked in a ridiculously deep voice.

Trunks laughed and quickly accepted, allowing himself to be pulled up from the bench. Unfortunately, he had forgotten about his sore state, and cried out in pain as the sudden movement roughly jostled his backside.

"Oh!" Gohan exclaimed, immediately letting the hand go. "I'm so sorry, did I squeeze your hand too hard? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Had Trunks not been in pain, he would've stopped to marvel at the amount of concern in his companion's voice.

Gritting his teeth, Trunks tried his best not to sound mad. "N-no, it wasn't your fault." He stuttered, straightening. "I uh…just injured my back yesterday, that's all."

"Oh, are you okay, then?" Gohan asked again, worry evident in his voice. "We don't have to do anything, you know, it's okay if we just sit and talk about things."

"That would be gr-" Trunks froze as he looked across the ballroom to see Frieza glaring suspiciously at him. Had he noticed? Did the lizard notice how he was in pain? Did he recognize it?

"Actually, dancing is fine." Trunks said hurriedly, grabbing Gohan's hand and dragging him to the dance floor. Gohan merely followed, slightly surprised.

Luckily, it was a slow dance, so Trunks didn't have to move too much. The two just swayed peacefully with only an occasional wince from the teen that fortunately Gohan was unable to see.

"So yesterday, I found out your age." Gohan said quietly, not wanting to ruin the serene mood. "Would it be too bold to ask of your name this time?" He joked, although he knew he would most likely be refused.

Sure enough, "I'm sorry, but that is bold. At least for now." Trunks smiled to himself. If he couldn't find Gohan, it wouldn't be too bad with this guy around.

"Well, that's better than nothing. So I can hope to find out your true identity in the near future?" Gohan joked, although he knew he would; his mom's third ball would make sure of that.

"Maybe." Came the coy reply.

"Well, if I can't have your name, I think I deserve something in compensation." Gohan murmured, resting his head on top of his partner's.

Trunks furiously blushed as he felt the weight settle on his head. If he didn't have a hood on, the stranger would most likely be trying to smell his hair or something.

"Compensation?"

"Another little tidbit about you." Gohan answered. Hearing the smile in his voice, Trunks longed to look up, but he knew his hood might fall down so he resisted.

Chuckling, Trunks replied, "I guess that won't hurt. What do you want to know?"

"Oh, anything, I guess. It can be something about what you look like, or just hobbies you have."

Trunks mused. What could he say about himself that wouldn't give himself away? Definitely not anything about the hair. "Well, I have blue eyes."

Gohan huffed. " 'Ey, that wasn't enough."

Trunks laughed. "Okay, sorry. I have blue eyes and tan skin."

Gohan shot his partner an evil eye, bending down slightly as they danced so the hooded eyes would catch his expression. "Playing hard to get, are we?"

Trunks winked, knowing the other man would see it. "Well, ask me something specific and maybe I'll answer it."

"Fine, oh mysterious one." Gohan mock sighed in exasperation. "Were you born here?"

"Yes."

"Hm, you answered that easily enough. What do you do for a living?"

Trunks shook his head, his hood flapping slightly at the movement. "I can't answer that one."

"Aww." Gohan pouted in disappointment. "What about-"

"I'm sorry, but can we sit this one out?" Trunks interrupted as the song changed to a more fast paced beat.

Gohan nodded quickly. "Of course. Your back, right?"

"Yes."

"How did you get hurt?" Gohan asked in concern.

Trunks shook his head, once again signifying that he wouldn't answer. Gohan sighed in frustration. He wanted to get to know this guy, that's what the balls were supposed to be about, but he wouldn't let him!

As if sensing his annoyance, Trunks quickly apologized. "I'm sorry about all the secrecy."

"Is it me?" Gohan suddenly asked, a strange tightness to his voice.

"No! No, of course not." Trunks replied, startled.

"Then why won't you tell me anything?" Gohan asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "I really want to get to know you."

Trunks began to feel slight resentment for the first time he'd been in this man's presence. "And I do too. But this is a masquerade; no one's supposed to know who's who."

"You don't have to follow the rules to the very core." Gohan grouched as the two sat down on the bench.

"Well then, who are YOU?" Trunks challenged.

"…"

"See? It's not just me. I have my reasons, and you have yours." Trunks said stiffly, turning to pretend to watch the other dancers.

Gohan sighed. "I'm-"

"Excuse me, may I interrupt?" Came a silky voice. Trunks immediately stiffened before forcing himself to relax. Frieza had no idea who he was, and he, as an unknown guest, had every right to be here. The lizard couldn't have figured it out. He couldn't.

"You already did." Gohan muttered. Trunks silently agreed.

"I was just wondering, sir, why you would have a hood over your head?" Frieza asked with a disarming smile.

Trunks hesitated. Would he recognize his voice?

"That's not your business to know." Trunks blinked as his very own words from yesterday left the other man's mouth. Frieza's eyebrow quirked, but otherwise gave no sign he was ruffled.

"Oh but perhaps it is. You see, it is dangerous to have such a disguised person. This masquerade was not meant to allow dangerous criminals under the guise of merely being another guest." Frieza replied smoothly. Trunks rolled his eyes under his hood. Had this guy been talking to Piccolo?

"I'm sure the guards are well aware of that risk and are on the alert for any disturbances." Gohan shot back just as smoothly. "With that aside, as far as I know, there are no set rules to what your costume can be."

Frieza's purple eyes flashed in anger. Turning from the black haired man, he snarled menacingly at the hooded figure. "What's the matter? Are you a dumb one? Why don't you say something?" He sneered nastily.

Trunks took a step back and kept silent, fearing his voice would be recognized. But if he didn't speak, it would seem even more suspicious. What should he do?

"That's enough!" Gohan suddenly shouted, stepping protectively in front of Trunks. "You, sir, are being extremely rude to your fellow guests, and I suggest you leave now until your temper is of a more decent manner."

Frieza humphed and stalked away without another word. Gohan turned to see if his guest was okay.

"You okay? Do you know that guy?" Gohan asked.

"N-no." Trunks quickly answered, mentally berating himself for the stutter. "Well, I know that he's either Frieza or Cold because of the tail, and they...um, used to terrorize my family." Trunks quickly spat out the explanation. Yeah, that sounded reasonable enough.

"Yeah, those bullies are always doing that." Gohan said reassuringly. "Well," Gohan stood up and stretched. "It doesn't sound like a slow song's gonna come up anytime soon, so…would you like to take a walk outside?" Gohan asked cheerfully.

"Outside?" Trunks asked, confused.

"Follow me." Taking Trunks' hand, Gohan wove through the crowds of people towards the back of the ballroom. Pushing aside a curtain, he revealed a small door which he quickly opened.

"Is this a secret passageway or something?" Trunks asked jokingly.

"Kind of. Just to keep the guests from wandering outside into the Queen's private court yard." Gohan answered.

'Wait a minute…how did this guy know about the door?' Trunks thought. 'And won't Chichi-sama get mad if we go to her private yard?'

As the two walked through the door, Trunks couldn't help but gasp in wonder and delight. It was a beautiful yard, with various plants and flowers scattered about in a natural but eye-appeasing pattern. Cherry blossom petals fluttered peacefully from the numerous cherry trees, giving the false image of a thin layer of snow on the ground. A small fountain trickled in the middle of the yard, water shooting out of a stone likeness of a playful dolphin. From above, the moon bathed the entire scene with its ethereal light, giving the place a soft, peaceful glow.

"Wow." Trunks whispered. "It's beautiful."

Gohan smiled, leading him to sit on the bench.

Trunks snapped himself out of his daze, turning his confused gaze to his companion. "But how did you know where this was?"

Gohan sighed, hoping he wasn't going to make a mistake. Slowly, he reached up and began to untie his mask.

Trunks' eyes widened. He was going to reveal himself, right here, right now? But he wasn't supposed to, this was a Masque-

Oh. OH. All thoughts Trunks was previously panicking about immediately vanished to be replaced with a sort of dull shock. The face of Prince Gohan stared at him, coal black eyes shining hopefully as he waited for his response.

"You're…you're…" Trunks couldn't even get his voice working straight, he was so surprised.

"I am." Gohan smiled, his face seeming even more beautiful than Trunks could even remember. It probably had to do with the moonlight glimmering off his smooth pale skin.

"Why did you…show yourself?" Trunks whispered in awe, almost fear. Standing in the presence of Gohan, the teen began to feel his heart beating faster and faster. This was certainly not something he was expecting.

"I was hoping you'd show yourself to me in exchange." Gohan replied hopefully. "I know this is probably a big surprise to you; but knowing who I am now doesn't really change anything, does it? You still know me as the friendly and extremely handsome guy you've been dancing with for the past two nights." Gohan said jokingly, although his eyes were serious.

Trunks began to tremble, and he looked down, the hood obscuring even his eyes with the motion. He had definitely not counted on this. Sure, he'd planned on finding Gohan-sama and catching a glimpse of what he could see of his face, but he did NOT expect to be standing with the prince himself asking to know who he was. No, this was definitely not going according to plan.

"I…I don't…" Trunks fumbled, trying to think of what to do. Would it really be okay if Gohan-sama knew who he was? The prince didn't even know he was ALIVE, as Vegeta's son. What would he think if he found out that all he was now was a common stable boy who had had the nerve to fall on him from a tree just a few days ago? Why should the royal crown prince care about someone as lowly as him? Sure, Trunks (and Yamcha) had fantasized plenty of times of the prince whisking him away as his knight in shining armor, but that was just wishful thinking. He KNEW, just KNEW that in real life, it didn't work out that way; the prince deserved someone so much better. And anyone would be a better choice them him, especially after what had happened just last night.

"I can't." Trunks whispered, feeling the tears begin to leak down his cheeks. Luckily, Gohan couldn't see them.

"What? Why not?" Gohan asked, distressed. "Is it really that dangerous for me to know who you are? It's not like you really are a criminal, are you?"

"N-no…it's not that…I just…" Trunks shut his eyes, clenching his fists. What was WRONG with him?! This was his chance to get away from Frieza! He'd finally be free from the lizard, and he could get his domain back!

But what if Gohan didn't want him once he found out who he was? What then? Frieza would KILL him once he found out, which he definitely would once the prince informed them of their servant's misbehavior.

Emotions conflicting, Trunks didn't know what to do. Unsurely, he stepped away from the prince, eyes glazed as he tried to sort out the conflict between his heart and mind, and what exactly he should do next.

Mistaking the step backwards as an attempt to flee, Gohan quickly grabbed the younger man's wrist before he could escape.

"Wait!" He pleaded. "Please don't run! I honestly only want to know who you are!" When Trunks didn't respond, Gohan slowly reached up with his free hand towards the hood. The minute he touched the cloth, however, Trunks began to panic.

With his mind overloaded with his conflicting feelings, Trunks reacted instinctively. He violently wrenched his wrist out of the other man's grip and fled, ignoring all pain to his sore body, flinging himself out of the courtyard and back into the ball room faster than the wind. Gohan quickly followed, hastily tying his mask back on.

"Wait! Please!"

Trunks paid no heed to the voice, knowing that if he did stop, he might give in to the temptation and end up revealing himself. But he couldn't; not yet. He needed time to think this through, now that he knew this was no longer a fantasy. He needed to decide whether someone like him could really be…

By this time, Trunks had nearly reached the doors before a hand grabbed his wrist once more. Before he could struggle, Gohan spoke hurriedly, "Don't run. I promise I won't try to take your hood off. I just want to ask you one more thing, then you can leave if you want to."

Trunks stilled. He supposed it wouldn't hurt, and not like he had much of a choice anyway; what with Gohan still holding onto him firmly, and the guards blocking the doors once they saw the suspicious looking scene.

"What is it?" The teen asked quietly.

Gohan took a deep breath. "Will you come to the third ball?" Gohan asked slowly. "I'm guessing this was just a little fast for you; maybe I shouldn't have shown myself so soon. But this third ball will be the last; and it is also the only one in which you're supposed to come unmasked. Will you think about it?"

Hesitantly, Trunks nodded. He was sure he'd at least have some semblance of an answer by then.

Gohan smiled, relieved, and released the younger man's wrist. The minute he did, however, Trunks rushed away to the entrance doors.

"Let him through." Gohan called to the guards. Recognizing their prince's costume, the guards obeyed, although they still eyed the passing man distrustfully. Trunks paid them no heed.

"I'll be waiting for you…tomorrow." Gohan said softly, although he knew the other wouldn't hear it. Smiling to himself, the young prince made his way back to the ball to wait the night out.

Trunks looked back several times, half wishing the prince would come after him. But no, that would only make things more complicated, so it was best he leave right now. Sighing, Trunks realized he was going to have to walk. Oh well; it gave him plenty of time to think.

* * *

"YOU WHHHAAAT?"

Trunks winced as Yamcha screamed in his ear. "I ran away from him." He muttered, rubbing his abused ears.

"But Trunks…WHY?" Yamcha asked, completely bewildered.

Trunks sighed. "Look, Yamcha, I know you and I have been going on about what it would be like if Gohan actually did pick me; but I honestly didn't think it'd happen. I mean, did you?"

"YES!"

"Okay, well what matters is that I didn't." Trunks said quickly, before his friend could go off on a rant. "And now that it has, I really don't know whether it's okay for me to do something like this."

"But Trunks…this is your big chance!" Yamcha said alarmingly, waving his arms wildly about. "I can't believe after all you've been through, you're just going to throw this away! Think about it! You could get away from Frieza and get your domain back!"

"But Yamcha, legally, I'm DEAD." Trunks said miserably. "So legally, Frieza does own the domain. And what if Gohan doesn't want me after all? What if after he finds out that I'm some supposed-to-be-dead no good worthless stable boy, and decides that people like me are just too low for him? What then? Frieza will KILL me."

Yamcha slouched dejectedly. "I never thought about it that way. But don't you think the risk is worth taking?" The gardener pleaded. He couldn't believe this. Only a few days ago, he was urging Trunks not to take all these risks for Gohan-sama, and now he was urging him the exact opposite. "And really, do you really think Gohan is that kind of person?"

"I don't know." Trunks said anguished. "But I don't know if I can handle Gohan just…you know, rejecting me like that. Maybe it'd just be better not taking the chance of...that happening." He whispered, staring at the ground.

Yamcha sighed. "Look." He said slowly, thinking. "You said he invited you to the third ball. Maybe your decision will better come to you when you're actually facing him. And you should go anyway to give him your answer."

"Yamcha, I PANICKED when I was facing him." Trunks reminded him.

"Well, this time you'll be better prepared. You were probably just too surprised to be thinking straight." The gardener reasoned.

"But…"

"Trunks, just do it. What's the worst that can happen? It is a masquerade; worst case, you'll just leave him with no more clue than he had before of who you are."

"But Yamcha, that's the problem." Trunks cried. "This third ball is supposed to be open identity."

"Oh no." Yamcha groaned. "Frieza would definitely see you then."

"That wasn't what I meant, but yeah, that too."

"Alright, how about this." Yamcha straightened up. "Go to the ball, but keep your hood on. Okay, you'll get a few stares for arriving with a closed identity, but I'm sure no one will be impolite enough to directly talk about it to you. Go to Gohan and tell him your answer. Then leave, quickly, if your answer is no. This way, Frieza won't see you, and Gohan won't find out who you are."

Trunks thought about it for a while, and nodded. It sounded like a decent plan. "Okay…I think I'll do that."

"But honestly, Trunks, I think you're gonna be making the biggest mistake of your life if you don't tell him who you are." Yamcha said seriously.

Trunks sighed. "I know, I might…" 'But you don't understand, Yamcha. I've been holding this love for Gohan-sama for years. If Gohan-sama really does reject me, it'll kill me; all those years of pent up emotions, I don't think I'd be able to take it. No, I KNOW I wouldn't be able to take it. Better to fantasize forever that Gohan could possibly like me than to face reality that he actually doesn't.'

Yamcha brightened up. "On the bright side, I managed to finish all the chores this time, so Frieza hopefully won't… give you a hard time."

Trunks lowered his eyes, remembering. "Yeah…" Which only made his thoughts turn to the worst again. On top of being a lowly stable boy, how would Gohan feel if he found out he was tainted in such an impure way? And by Frieza, no less. He'd certainly be disgusted.

'Gohan…are you thinking about me now?'

* * *

"Mom, the third ball! Make it tonight!" Gohan burst into the kitchen, startling Chichi and nearly making her cut her own finger.

"What? What're you so excited about already so early in the morning?" She asked crankily, inspecting her finger.

"The ball, mom, the third ball!" Gohan said impatiently. "The one where everyone is supposed to come with their identities open! Make it tonight!"

"Gohan, what're you so urgent for?" Chichi asked as she chopped the carrots.

"Just…Arrrgh! Will you make the ball tonight or not?!"

Chichi pointed her knife menacingly. "Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young man!"

"…sorry…"

The queen huffed. "Hmph. Of course I'll make it tonight, if you want it that badly. You didn't have to come bursting in, nearly giving your mother a heart attack."

When she turned around, she was talking to air as Gohan had already rushed off to inform Krillin to relay the message to the people.

* * *

"Well, that didn't take very long." Yamcha muttered as he made his way back to the stables from grocery shopping. It had barely been morning and the crier had already arrived with the information of the third ball. True to Trunks's word, it was to be open identity this time, as well as same costumes to be worn that were worn the night before.

After dropping off the bags with the cook, the gardener set off to find his younger friend. Not finding him in the stables, he reasoned he must be off doing one of Frieza's little chores again, and he'd have to wait until they finished. Which hopefully were of the harmless variety.

Unfortunately, they weren't. Frieza happened to be in one of his pissy moods, shouting obscenities about two people at the ball who had had the nerve to dismiss him.

The unfortunate task Trunks had to do this time was carry loads of bricks for a new construction Frieza had in mind. Only, the lizard seemed to be in a 'slave master' mode as he held his whip which he didn't hesitate to use on the poor teen.

"Quit dallying, you useless piece of shit! What, are you so weak you can only carry that many bricks at a time?" Frieza taunted cruelly, snapping the whip mercilessly across Trunk's straining back. "Pathetic weakling!"

Trunks gritted his teeth, but said nothing. He couldn't afford to get hurt anymore than he was, and instigating Frieza's wrath would definitely involve some kind of bodily damage. Although the evil lizard was doing enough of that kind of damage already with that infernal whip.

The more Frieza flung his insults at him, however, the more Trunks struggled to keep himself under control. He came dangerously close to snapping when Frieza made an offhand comment insulting Vegeta's competence in running the domain. The hot-tempered teen managed to keep his anger in check, though, by focusing on the beautiful memory of Gohan's gentle face, shining in the moonlight in Chichi's garden. 'For Gohan.' Trunks told himself firmly, even as another whiplash tore even more skin from his back. 'At least so I can give him his answer.'

But it was damn hard keeping himself from chucking each and every one of the bricks he was carrying into that smug, bastardly white face.

* * *

A/N: As I said before, humor side of the fic is somewhat dwindling. :/ Probably a reflection of my no longer carefree life, siiigh...life's problems and growing up and shit.


	9. Happily ever after

A/N: So to include with the usual disclaimer of of not owning any DBZ characters, part of this chapter was inspired by the book Ella Enchanted. If you've read it, it should be pretttyy obvious which part ;)

Anyway, soo sorry it took so long! Enjoy the final chapter of Masquerade.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Happily Ever After**

"Do you want the horse again?" Yamcha asked quietly, staring down at the glum figure of his friend. It had been several hours since Frieza had left, and Trunks still hadn't gotten up to prepare.

"No." Trunks answered dully, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. "I think I'll just walk."

"Well, if you do, you really should leave now." Yamcha pressed.

"I know!" Trunks suddenly exclaimed, clenching his fists. "I just-!" The teen violently blew out his breath, then ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Sorry, Yamcha." He quickly amended. "I'm just..."

"Nervous, I know." Yamcha smiled understandingly. "Look, Trunks, try not to worry about it. Just go and pretend like its just a regular masquerade you're attending, just like the last two days! You never know, things might turn out okay!"

The purple haired teen smiled back, albeit a little shakily. "O-okay. I guess...I should get ready then."

Trunks finally got up and allowed Yamcha to fuss over his dirty clothes.

* * *

'Shit. Shit shit shit SHIT.'

That was the only thought running through the evil mind of Frieza. The minute he'd arrived at the ball, he'd searched eagerly for which costume was Gohan, hoping it was one of the men he danced with. Unfortunately, it wasn't. No, it just HAD to be the same man who had so coolly dismissed him the previous night for some hooded freak. 'DAMMIT!'

Gohan, meanwhile, was thinking nothing of the slimy white lizard he'd so easily brushed off in defense of the same guest he was now anxiously waiting for. Trying his best to ignore the adoring coos and proclamations of undying love coming from his surrounding male and female fans, Gohan fixated his gaze on the entrance, desperately willing the other man to appear.

"Come on, where are you?" Gohan muttered, agitated both from the waiting and the suffocating people around him. But as each hour passed, still no white clad hooded costume appeared at the door.

* * *

Nearly five minutes from the castle, Trunks stubbed his toe - again. He cursed violently, the throbbing pain worsening his agitated nerves. Deep down, though, he was slightly grateful for the distraction the physical pain temporarily provided; the long walk to the castle had left him brooding too much on his current situation. Of how afraid he was...so very afraid of Gohan's response and the many reasons the prince would have to reject him.

But there were reasons he wouldn't, Trunks firmly told himself. He recalled again that beautiful memory of the moonlight softly illuminating Gohan's smiling face. They had been surrounded by the beautifully ornate flora of Chichi's personal garden, only providing a peaceful background to the peaceful moment. Trunks sighed dreamily; Gohan had genuinely _wanted_ to know his name. He'd been willing to risk reducing his guest to a fawning puppet upon finding out he was the prince. That HAD to have meant SOMETHING.

The young teen stubbornly clung to that thought to give him courage. All too soon, the castle entrance came into view.

Trunks gulped. "Here goes." He murmured. With confidence he didn't feel, Trunks strode up the stairs, forcing himself to keep going. However, he'd forgotten one important thing.

Piccolo.

"Excuse me, sir, this ball is open identity." The green guard said triumphantly. Trunks quelled the urge to flip the arrogant guard off; it was obvious he was just waiting for a chance to arrest him or something.

"Um, I know that, but I really really _really_ can't show myself." Trunks explained meekly, mentally hitting himself for such a weak response. Couldn't he come up with something better than that?

"And why's that?" Piccolo challenged.

Trunks didn't answer, desperately thinking of a credible excuse. After all that effort to work up the nerve to get here, only to be stopped by _this_. 'Shit. What am I supposed to do now?'

* * *

'Oh come _on._' Gohan inwardly groaned as he spotted a white tail coming his way.

"My prince." Came the silky smooth voice.

"Frieza." Gohan responded tonelessly, not even bothering to tag on a respectful suffix.

"I must apologize for my uncouth behavior yesterday." Frieza continued mournfully, his tail drooping for good effect. "I must have been over intoxicated to have appeared so rude. Normally, I would never treat a fellow guest in such a callous manner as I did."

"I accept your apology." Gohan replied distractedly, noticing his mentor, Piccolo, seemed to be up to something. 'Is he talking to someone?' Unable to see from his position within a mob of hormone driven guests, Gohan pushed his way through, shooting a quick "excuse me" to the still talking Frieza.

"Hey, Piccolo, what's going-" Gohan stopped abruptly as he recognized the costume and allowed a wide grin to spread across his face. "You came!"

"Y-yeah. Um...I'm sorry for the secrecy...can I still come in?" He asked hesitantly.

"Of course! Come on, Piccolo, let him in." Gohan demanded.

"But Gohan, he could be a criminal! He's hiding his identity for a reason, what else could it be?" The guard protested.

"Aw, you're just being paranoid." Gohan chided, unknowingly repeating his brother's words from the first ball. "Besides, even if he is, I can take care of myself. Come on, let him in!"

Trunks nodded his thanks to the disgruntled guard. He nearly flinched as a gentle hand settled on his whip-lashed back to lead him away from the entrance. Luckily, Gohan didn't seem to notice. Fervently, the teen hoped nothing would start bleeding; the bright red would show clearly against his stark white costume which would lead to quite a few awkward questions.

"I'm really glad you came." Gohan said sincerely, setting them both down on the same bench where Trunks had chatted with Goten.

"Th-thanks." Trunks replied nervously, noticing the jealous looks discreetly sent his way by the surrounding people. One of which included Frieza, which made him fidget.

"Will you tell me why you're still hiding your face? Does this have to do with the reason you wouldn't reveal yourself to me yesterday?" Gohan asked, but not in a demanding way. Slowly, almost cautiously, the young prince reached out to hold one tan hand. He sighed in relief when the hooded stranger didn't bolt as a result.

Distracted by the nice, warm feel of Gohan's hand against his own cold, clammy skin, Trunks was surprised to hear his own steady voice. "I just kept it on in case my answer is no." Although there were definitely more reasons than just that, one of those reasons flitting about jealously near the bench with a deep scowl on his white face.

"And is it?" Subconsciously, Gohan tightened his grip on the teen's hand. Not for the first time, Gohan wondered just what it was that kept this commoner from hesitating the PRINCE. It only made him want the hooded teen even more.

Trunks inhaled sharply, desperately trying to quench the burning urge to just flee scene right then and there. If he said yes, Frieza would definitely see and remind the prince of exactly what he was. Would Gohan still want him? Or would he reject seven years worth of love?

'Just say it, Trunks. Don't do something you'll regret for the rest of your life.' His subconscious scolded him. The voice sounded suspiciously like his father's.

'But does Gohan-sama really deserve something like you? Isn't it selfish of you not to think about that'? Another voice mocked. Trunks was disturbed to realize THAT one sounded just like Frieza, which was NOT something he settled well with; the creep had already been inside his body, he did NOT want him inside his mind. Even though it had a good point...

"Are you okay?" Gohan's melodic voice pulled Trunks from his mental argument.

For a moment, Trunks just allowed himself to gaze into the comforting darkness of Gohan's soulful eyes. "Um, yeah I'm fine."

Another moment passed before Trunks realized the prince was still waiting for his answer. Blushing, he opened his mouth to give his response, observing with inner delight how Gohan leaned in eagerly.

"I-"

Trunks gasped as he felt his hood violently ripped off. Instinctively, he whipped his head to the side to hide his face, but it was useless. His hair stood out like a beacon in the dark.

"It's you!" Gohan gasped at the same time Frieza shrieked in anger, the white hood still clutched in his hands.

The young teen didn't wait for any more reactions. He forcefully ripped his hand out of Gohan's grasp and raced across the ballroom, uncaringly pushing his way through the crowds. Even as he saw Piccolo and the other guards blocking the entrance, he didn't stop. Before either of the guards had even opened his mouth to demand an explanation, Trunks had dove right through the empty space below the crossed spears and rolled away, sprinting as fast as he could. So distressed was he, that he didn't even notice he'd left something behind, glittering innocently on the marble stairs.

* * *

Shooting Frieza a dirty look, Gohan quickly made his way to the entrance, although the purple-haired boy was long gone.

"Piccolo! Why didn't you stop him?" Gohan demanded angrily.

"I tried, Gohan. He managed to slip between us. There's something that he dropped, though." The green guard pointed with his spear towards the sparkling object a few stairs down.

Gingerly, the prince picked it up, realizing it was an anklet. On the silver band hung tiny little spheres, some orange and some silver.

"Gohan, I know you want to go after him, but perhaps it'd be a good idea to do so tomorrow." Piccolo called. "It's late, you still have guests to attend to, and your mother looks like she's ready to explode, in need of an explanation..." Piccolo trailed off. Even the stoic guard feared the queen's temper.

Gohan sighed. "You're right...but FIRST thing tomorrow."

* * *

"Yamcha! Yamcha, I totally screwed up!" Trunks burst into the stables, nearly giving the poor gardener a heart attack.

"What are you talking about, Trunks?" Yamcha asked worriedly, rushing over. "Are you okay, did Frieza do something to you?"

"No, but just as I was going to give my answer, that bastard ripped my hood off!"

Only then did Yamcha realize that his purple-haired friend was missing said piece of clothing.

"Why, that no good piece of shit…"

Had the situation not been as serious, Trunks would have laughed hearing the normally modest gardener curse. But at the moment, humor was the last thing on the young teen's mind. "Frieza…he's going to kill me…" The panicked teen nearly began to hyperventilate at the thought. On top of that, he hadn't even been able to give Gohan his answer…

"Calm down, Trunks, calm down." Yamcha reasoned, looking slightly panicked himself. "We have a bit of time, the ball doesn't end until a couple of hours and I'm sure Frieza won't leave until the very end. Now, let's…um, let's think this through…"

"Think about WHAT?" Trunks shouted, grabbing his bangs in frustration. "I'm doomed, no matter what way you look at it! Great, I'll soon be exactly what my legal status is…DEAD!"

"Trunks!" Yamcha barked, grabbing the teen by the shirtfront and delivering a quick but jarring slap to the face. The sudden motion immediately silenced the panicking teen, leaving slightly shocked blue eyes to stare up at the gardener.

Luckily though, the slap seemed to bring the teen back to his senses. "S-sorry Yamcha…"

"It's okay, now seriously, let's think this through." Yamcha said firmly, releasing his hold on his friend. "First of all, what was your answer to Gohan going to be?"

Trunks narrowed his eyes in anger at the thought. "I was going to tell him! After all that anxiety and worrying, I was going to tell him, but NOO, Frieza had to ruin it for me, just like everything else in my life!"

Yamcha permitted the young teen to rant, as long as he didn't sink into panic again. "So why didn't you stay, then?"

"I panicked, okay?" Trunks groaned, holding his head in his hands. "See, when Gohan showed his face to me yesterday, he took me to Chichi's private garden. I was hoping I could do the same, so I could leave without anyone knowing who I was if Gohan…didn't want me."

"But that plan was shot to hell once Frieza took your hood." Yamcha finished.

"Pretty much...Yamcha, what should I do?" Trunks stared up imploringly at his friend, making the black haired servant's heart twitch at the pathetic sight. "I have no doubt Frieza's going to kill me this time…he'll do it, I just know it…"

"Calm down, Trunks, calm down." By now, even Yamcha was beginning to sound worried. "The only think I can think of is for you to run away."

"WHAT! But I won't be able to get papa's domain back if I'm no where near it!"

"I know that!" Yamcha interrupted harshly. "But what choice do you have right now? What good can you do if you're not even alive?"

Trunks shut his eyes tightly, knowing his friend was right. Even so, his heart clenched at the thought of leaving his father's beloved territory…he'd endured everything, every bit of torture inflicted on his meager life, and now it would be all for nothing. Frieza had finally beaten him, and there was nothing he could do.

"Come on, Trunks, you'd better pack."

* * *

"Gohan, WHAT is going on?" Chichi demanded, rushing forward with a slightly curious Goku in tow. Not a minute after the party ended, the Queen wasted no time in confronting her son. "Who was that young man you seemed to have frightened off?"

"Mom, I didn't frighten him off." Gohan responded, scratching his head irritably. "He was just nervous around me, and Frieza was being a bastard to him."

"Language." Chichi said automatically. Immediately, her black eyes lit up with glee. "So does this mean he's the lucky man?"

"I guess so, but he seemed to have a problem with me, although I can't imagine why." Gohan said grouchily, troubled at the thought. "Hey Dad, did you recognize him?"

"No, he was too far away." The King answered. "Why?"

"That was Traks; you know, the servant who fell on me in Vegeta's domain." Gohan explained.

"Well, that's interesting. Hey, Gohan, what's that you've got?" Goku reached forward curiously, taking the jingling jewelry from his son's grasp. Turning it in his large hands, Goku examined the silver band with the orange balls, an expression of shocked recognition slowly making its way onto his face.

Both Chichi and Gohan watched curiously. "Dear? What is it?" His wife asked.

"This…I gave this to Bulma a long time ago." Goku whispered, fingering the tiny orange balls.

"Bulma? Vegeta's wife?" Gohan asked in confusion, taking the anklet back to examine it himself. "Did Traks steal it?"

Goku fervently shook his head. "No, he didn't!" He exclaimed excitedly. "Now I know why that boy's face seemed so familiar…he looks so much like Vegeta _and_ Bulma! Why didn't I realize it before? Gohan, that kid is Trunks, Vegeta's son!"

"What? Vegeta's SON? Are you sure?" Gohan yelped, snatching the anklet back and staring at it as if it would provide all the answers. "But…that' doesn't make sense, why would he be a servant on his own domain? He should be the one ruling it, not Frieza!"

Goku sighed, his normally cheerful eyes saddening. "That's probably my fault. I was so upset at hearing about Geta, I didn't bother to check up on his only son. He was probably only 10 or 11 at that time, so it would be easy for anyone to trick him out of his rightful property. Which Frieza and Cold did; they reported Trunks as dead, and produced legal papers that stated the debt Geta owed them. Since the domain's heir, Trunks, wouldn't be able to work that debt off if dead, they could rightfully claim ownership of the domain."

"Goku, you _idiot_!" Chichi screeched suddenly, producing her magical frying pan and bashing it mercilessly over her husband's head. Ignoring his cries of pain and protest, she scolded him as if he was just another one of her sons. "How many times have I told you to at least _try_ to fulfill _some_ of the responsibilities that comes with your position? You could have at least checked up on the validity of their claims!"

"But _you_ normally do that kind of stuff…"

"How was I supposed to know what was going on about Vegeta's domain if you were too busy moping around to tell me? I can't do _everything_ by myself!" Chichi cried out, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I mean, I certainly try, because I know how much you don't like doing these things, but _honestly_, Goku!"

While his mom continued to berate an increasingly shamed looking King, Gohan quietly stole away, clutching the anklet tightly. He knew it was probably more sensible to wait until the next day as Piccolo said, but finally finding out the identity of his mysterious dance partner made him even more impatient to talk with him. Especially to find out why he was so hesitant in accepting the PRINCE'S love.

Just as he was about to reach the large castle entrance doors, Goten suddenly popped up with a wide grin on his face. "Where ya goin'?" He drawled in what Gohan thought was a most obnoxious manner.

"Goten, not now, there's something really important I have to do." Gohan replied impatiently, shoving his brother's face aside.

"Like going after your one true looove?" Goten teased.

Gohan froze and turned around to give his brother an irritated glare. It didn't have the intended effect as Goten merely giggled. "Oh I saw the whole thing, and I must say, niichan, I'm curious to know what you said to make him run like that."

"Like I already said, it wasn't because of me!" Gohan shouted. 'I hope.' "What are you doing out here, anyway? Shouldn't you be in bed right now?" He growled.

"And miss the crucial turning point in my favorite brother's life?"

"Goten, I'm your _only_ brother."

"Still my favorite. Come on, what are we dawdling here for?" Goten reprimanded as if it was Gohan's fault instead of his that they were still standing around, and pushed open the large doors to run down the steps. "We'd better hurry before he disappears again!"

Sighing in frustration, Gohan decided he didn't have the time or patience to argue with his brother and followed the younger prince towards the horse stables.

* * *

Just as Trunks had stuffed his costume into his small bag (for memories sake, despite how painful those memories would be knowing the chance he had missed), Yamcha rushed back into the stables from where he'd been standing watch for the lizards' return.

"Trunks! They're back!" He cried out frantically, waving his arms wildly. "And they're headed this way!"

Trunks dropped his bag, blue eyes widening in horror. "Frieza…he's going to kill me." The teen muttered, shaking in both frustration and fear. "He's really going to do it this time..." Purple hair whipped to the side as Trunks suddenly snapped his head up. "That does it! I'm tired of cowering from him, tired of backing down every single time. Why should I run away? I don't care what he does to me, just LET him come!" The hot headed teen planted his feet and readied himself in a defiant fighting stance.

"Didn't we already have this discussion on how there's going to be just a BIT of a problem in taking your domain back if you are DEAD?" Yamcha cried out exasperatedly, shoving the teen's fists down with surprising strength. "Just stop and _think_ about the consequences, will you?" Spinning the teen around, Yamcha began urgently pushing him towards the stable's back doors. "Please Trunks, just this once, don't let your temper get the better of you." The gardener begged, eyes darting nervously towards the front door. "Just run, run away and _stay alive_ until you can come back!"

"And when will that be, huh?" Trunks replied angrily, digging his feet into the ground to prevent his friend from pushing him even further. "Never! I'll never be able to get the better of those disgusting lizards, so just let me at him NOW!"

"Just look what happened the last time you tried that!" Yamcha suddenly exploded, startling the purple-haired teen into silence. "What are you trying to prove, huh Trunks? I know you're not a coward, Frieza knows it too, that's why he's always taunting you! But running away won't mean you are so _please_, at least for Vegeta, don't throw your life away!"

Trunks grit his teeth so hard he could have sworn something cracked. All those years of slaving away under Frieza, enduring his disgusting advances and his cold slimy touch…only to conclude it all by running away. Couldn't his life have been at least a _little _bit fairer? "I…"

"Trunks, hurry!"

Staring at the front doors where his hated enemy was soon to come through, the young teen realized how hopeless it had always been. What was he expecting to gain by clinging stubbornly to his father's former domain? After all these years, he had succeeded in that aspect, but what was his plan to actually get it back? 'I was just fooling myself.' He thought bitterly. 'I never had a chance at all.'

"Come on, what are you waiting for? Get out of here!"

"I can't."

Yamcha moaned at the soft but resolved statement. "Trunks _please_, you're going to _die…_"

"I don't care. If I leave, I'll never be able to come back, and I'll just end up dying out on the streets anyway. If I can help it, I'd prefer to die on the lands I've lived my life on, even if half that life was a complete hell."

"But-"

"And who knows?" Trunks shot his pleading friend a small smile. "Maybe Frieza'll keep me around after all, at least for the pleasure it'll provide for him."

"Trunks, please don't joke about something like that-"

BAM. The doors slammed open so hard, they left small splinters in the wooden walls. Even while Yamcha trembled at the fearsome expression on Frieza's ugly face, only a tiny tremor in his fists gave away Trunks's emotions. And even that was from anticipated anger, or at least that was what the teen kept telling himself.

"You thought you were _so_ clever, didn't you?" Frieza sneered nastily, brandishing a dirty torn piece of cloth that Trunks recognized as his hood. It was beyond repair now, however, victim of Frieza's wrath. "Thought you could sneak around and seize Gohan from right under my nose, eh?" By now, the pasty white face had shoved itself right up against Trunks', so close that the teen could feel the harsh breath against his face. "Did you _seriously_ think you were going to get away with it, you insignificant little _bitch_?" He snarled.

Trunks waited a few seconds before cracking a mocking smirk. "That's not your business to know." He repeated the line Gohan had used to dismiss the white lizard. Dark, pupil-less eyes widened in rage, the only warning Trunks had before a solid punch cracked painfully into his mouth. The blow was like the trigger of a gun; spitting a bloody tooth out, Trunks felt his temper explode and his vision go red. If he was going to go down, he was fucking well going to leave his mark!

Yamcha could only watch helplessly (again) as his young friend released an enraged scream and threw himself at the surprised lizard. The purple-haired teen actually managed to knock the other down and sit on top of his long-time tormentor, violently and relentlessly punching down at anything that was that disgusting, white lizard flesh in his vision.

"You…" Frieza raised a hand to catch one of the fists mercilessly pounding into him. "…impudent little _child_!"

Trunks tried to ram his free fist into Frieza's chest in an attempt to force him to release his captured hand, only to have his free one caught as well. Tugging uselessly at the increasingly strong grip, the maddened teen ground out maliciously, "Oh so I'm a _child_, now, am I? What does that make you, a pedophile? Yet another disgusting title to add to your long list of honors." The teen yelled out in surprise as Frieza flipping their positions while still keeping ahold of both his hands.

"It amazes me how so incredibly STUPID you are." Frieza hissed, releasing one hand to brutally drive a fist into his captive's stomach. Trunks gasped, coughing up a trickle of blood.

"First, you think you have even a sliver of hope of regaining your father's lands. That's why you were willing to stay under me, weren't you? You thought that when my guard was down, you could sneak up on me and snatch away my lands just like you tried to do with _my _Gohan." The lizard easily avoided the weak thrown punch aimed at his face and merely responded with an almost lazy slap to the cheek.

"Second, I'm surprised it took you this long to finally realize how useless all your efforts were. Although, I can't say I regretted it, as you did provide me an excellent source of entertainment. In more ways than one." The cruel lizard laughed as angry tears sprung forth in glaring blue eyes at the implied statement. "Let me guess; that's why you ran from the Prince, is it not? You were afraid of what he would think of your _dirtied_ body. Well, you made the right decision in denying him; he doesn't deserve _damaged goods._"

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Trunks screamed, ripping his captured hand free. He lunged up to wrap his hands around the white neck but the lizard beat him to it; cold slimy fingers encircled his gasping throat and slowly began to squeeze.

"It sure will be a shame for you to die; even while living in the palace with my beloved Gohan-sama, you were sure to have provided more amusement." Frieza said, smiling cruelly at the teen's weak scrabbling at his strong grip. "But I suppose all those useless years you've spent serving me deserves something in return, so I will grant your apparent death wish with pleasure!"

So caught up in their fight, neither of the two had noticed that the third party spectator had disappeared.

* * *

Yamcha cursed as Ichigo reared back from a stray cat, nearly throwing his rider face first into the stone pavement. The gardener harshly yanked at the reins, squashing the small pang of guilt at treating the gentle horse this way. However, he was in an urgent situation, so after allowing the horse a couple of seconds to catch his breath, Yamcha fixed his gaze determinedly on the brightly lit towers of the castle and spurred the pink horse to continue doggedly on. It was a risky chance he was taking, especially with the unlikelihood of getting past the royal guards and actually finding Prince Gohan, but he was desperate for anything at the moment. His young friend and former master's son was about to be killed; he only prayed in favor of Frieza's sadistic tendencies, hoping the lizard would keep his friend alive for long enough.

"Come on, Ichigo, faster!" He yelled, whipping the reins frantically. He'd make up for his harsh treatment of the normally pampered horse later with lots of sugar. 'Please let me get to him in time.'

Yamcha nearly fell again as Ichigo abruptly jumped to the side in alarm as two MUCH larger horses nearly trampled them. Recognizing the larger-than-normal breed of royal steeds, Yamcha nearly cried in relief.

"Gohan-sama!"

The older prince hesitated before slowing his horse down, annoyed. He didn't have time to dally around, he needed to get to Trunks! Turning, he squinted at the approaching figure on horseback, trying to identify the stranger in the darkness of the night. "What is it?" He snapped out impatiently.

"I don't know where you're going right now, but please pardon my request-"

"Oh geez, just say it, man!" Goten whined, his usual irritation showing at how much formalities tended to beat around the bush.

"Please, my friend, Trunks, whom you danced with, is in danger! Please save him!"

Gohan's eyes widened at the plea, finally recognizing the gardener that had given them a tour at Vegeta's domain. Without even responding, the oldest prince spurred his horse into action, lowering his body so it wouldn't be thrown off from the sheer speed he was pushing his steed into reaching. In the background of his hearing, he barely managed to acknowledge the gardener yell at him, "The horse stables!" before he was already too far to hear anything more.

* * *

It had only been ten minutes, but Trunks felt like it had been several hours. Frieza had apparently decided it would be more fun to torture him with gradual beatings before finally killing him off.

Although, the lizard seemed to be getting bored with it; he'd purposefully left the teen's face intact besides the initial blow to the mouth so he could savor the deliciously pain filled expressions. However, Trunks had more or less closed his mind off to responding to anymore pain, only waiting in resolved endurance for Frieza to finally kill him. Despite the vicious kick to his already broken ribs, the purple-haired youth cracked a small smile as he fixed his memory on the moonlit night Gohan had revealed himself. Let him die with something that beautiful as his final memory.

Frieza felt a spark of annoyance as he spotted the smile on the nearly unconscious teen's face. Snorting in disgust, he grabbed the purple hair and ruthlessly yanked the head up to stare into vacant blue eyes. "Farewell, my pretty little pet." The lizard clamped his sharp-nailed fingers together and aimed at the heaving chest.

"NO!"

Frieza felt a strong hand clamp onto his own and his body was literally thrown off to crash painfully into the stable wall. The lizard straightened up, snarling at whoever dared to interrupt his fun. Before he could even say anything however, a solid fist sunk itself deep into his face, cracking his head against the wall once more. The lizard slid lifelessly to the ground, purple blood beginning to pool around the sleek white body.

Gohan turned away from the bloody sight, breathing heavily in anger. In the back of his mind, he worried he had killed the bastard – something that would infuriate not only his mother, but the entire kingdom as it really wasn't befitting to have a crime-committing prince – but at the moment, the young man couldn't bring himself to care. All he could focus on was the pitiful sight of the purple-haired teen lying motionlessly on the dirty stable grounds.

Although he wished he could just sink to the floor and hug the broken body close to him, Gohan knew there was no time for that. As carefully as he could, he lifted the light body and carried it outside to his horse, silently praying he hadn't been too late.

* * *

"Unhh…" Trunks winced, feeling an intense pain in his eyes. Blinking one eye open, it took him a couple of seconds to comprehend what it was he was staring at. Once he recognized it, he blinked again in confusion.

"Heya, glad to see you're awake!" Goten said cheerfully, removing the lantern from the other teen's face. "Took you long enough, sheesh!"

"What…why were you shining a light in my eyes?" Trunks croaked, then mentally rolled his eyes at the stupid question. Honestly, he could have asked about something more useful, like why Prince Goten was in his sleeping grounds of the horse stables.

Then he realized, he wasn't in the dirty stables. Instead, he became aware of soft warm blankets securely surrounding him and the bright vibrant colors of the lavish room nearly making his eyes hurt as bad as the lantern light.

"Cuz you were taking too long to wake up, so I thought I'd help you along." Goten replied, bringing Trunks' attention back to the younger prince. "I'll tell niichan you're awake now."

"Wait, Gohan-sama is-"

"NIIIIIICHAAAAAAAN!" Goten hollered, missing the wince of pain his loud voice had provoked. "HE WOKE UP, YOU CAN STOP PACING A HOLE IN THE FLOOR NOW!"

Not milliseconds after Goten had finished his yelling, the bedroom doors burst open to reveal a wild-eyed older prince. Trunks reflexively blushed and pulled the blanket up to cover half of his reddened face.

"You're awake, finally!" Gohan said happily, nearly tripping over his exiting brother and not even noticing. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Y-Yes…um, what happened? Why am I here?"

At his questions, Gohan's sweet face darkened, making Trunks wonder if he shouldn't have asked. "I found you on the brink of death thanks to that fucking bastard, Frieza." He growled, clenching his fists. "Thankfully, I didn't kill him, but I doubt his face will ever be back to normal again."

Trunks started to laugh, but quickly caught himself as he felt pain shoot up from his abdomen at the action.

Forcing the angry expression from his face, Gohan smiled brightly again. "So anyway, I WIN!" He shouted suddenly, nearly making Trunks jump out of the bed. "I found out who you are, and you can't run away from me!" He joked, laughing.

Trunks looked away, his lavender bangs falling slightly to cover his eyes. When he spoke, the teen was mortified to hear his voice was quavering. "I-I don't…I don't think I'm the best choice, Gohan-sama."

"Oh come on, aren't we past formalities by now? And why not?"

"Because…because…"

"I know who you really are, _Trunks_. You're Vegeta's son, the rightful heir to what Frieza claimed as his domain. And I doubt it'll be hard for my mom to change your status from deceased to the living. So all's good, right?" Gohan asked, his dark eyes shining hopefully. The prince gently took the trembling tan hands within his own, enveloping them with his warmth.

"But…Frieza, he…" Trunks let out a long sigh, feeling his eyes beginning to burn both at Gohan's gentle tone and at what he was about to say. "He-"

"I know he raped you." Gohan interrupted seriously, his previously cheerful countenance gone.

"What?" Trunks gasped, pulling his hand out of the prince's grasp. "How…?"

"He pretty much shouted it to me after he woke up and we were taking him down to the dungeons for attempted murder and false documents of debt. So? So what, though? Don't tell me you were going to say I don't _deserve_ you because don't you think that's my decision to make? And I say, I, as the oldest prince, deserve whatever I want," Gohan said in mock arrogance, "And what I want is _you_." He ended gently.

Trunks nearly burst into tears at the sheer sincerity in the man's earnest voice. He kept himself in check however, to release instead a loud laugh of joy accompanied by a lunge for the surprised Prince.

Gohan smiled, hugging back gently while mindful of the teen's injuries. He began speaking in a casual tone, "I must say though, Trunks, you really had me confused; I wasn't sure if you were Vegeta's son, or the kid we bumped into seven years ago, or the one who fell on me a couple days ago…you had quite a few identities on you."

Trunks laughed again, this time ignoring the pain that resulted in the action. "Well, it would have been no fun if it was too easy for you." He said lightly, leaning back to stare into Gohan's dark eyes. The teen felt his heart melt as he freely stared into the face of his beloved prince instead of having to continuously peek from behind crowds or a hood. 'He's so beautiful…I can't believe he wants me…' So caught up in his observation, the teen was almost startled when he felt gentle hands cup his face.

"Gohan…?" His question was cut off, however, as warm lips covered his own in a passionate kiss. The purple-haired teen closed his eyes, allowing the feelings of euphoria overtake him. 'Finally…papa, if you could only see me now.'

The thought of his father watching him kiss the prince made the teen suddenly giggle, breaking the intimate contact.

Gohan opened his eyes, confused. "Trunks? What's so funny?"

"Haha, I was just…imagining my father watching us. He would have blown a gasket or something."

Gohan laughed too, but immediately stopped as he watched his lover's face suddenly sadden. "What is it?"

"If only he were here to do that." Trunks whispered. He looked up again as a finger lifted his chin.

Gohan smiled. "Well, I can't bring him back, but I can certainly restore your position as ruler of Vegeta's domain. Of course, you'll have to rule it from here, because I'm certainly not letting you out of my sight."

Trunks smiled, letting a single tear roll down his cheek. 'Papa…you can rest in peace now.'

Up above in the heavens, a short, normally cranky angel allowed the first smile to grace his face ever since he had arrived at the world beyond the clouds.

* * *

True to his word, Gohan had his mother restore Trunks' name as ruler of Vegeta's domain. As he couldn't manage very well ruling it all the way from the palace, Trunks allowed his good friend Yamcha to oversee it in his stead. The purple-haired teen, however, was a frequent visitor to the domain, both to pay honor to his father's lands and continue playing pranks on…err, visit the former gardener.

After waiting a month for Trunks's injuries to heal, the royal wedding took place. It seemed like it was the largest in history, with the preparations having taken more than a week and nearly everyone in the kingdom invited. Trunks was amused to see that the main color theme was lavender. ("Are you making fun of my hair, Gohan?")

The queen, despite her standard claims of disappointment at her oldest son's sexual preferences, bawled the loudest as the two newlyweds exchanged their vows and engaged in a chaste kiss. She only embarrassed them further by leaping up the chapel stairs and insisting on giving a loud speech on how proud she was of her son to have finally married. Gohan's face didn't go back to its normal color until at least an hour later.

Prince Goten, bored with all the frivolities of weddings and ceremonies and all that formal stuff, was just glad he'd gained a brother-in-law who shared his interest in pranks. After the wedding, the two never failed in causing trouble at least once a day. It was as if they were making up for the years they were supposed to have been friends.

King Goku…was just Goku, and continued his life just as he had, happy and oblivious to all. Thanks to the increased number of pranksters in the castle, however, he at least developed a slightly sharper sense of awareness in order to not go around everyday with glittering hair or dyed shirts.

Frieza and Cold were left to rot in the dungeons, unloved and completely forgotten.

And the loving couple lived happily ever after, their relationship blessed with peace and harmony…

CRASH.

"Trunks, you traitor! You're my _husband_, how could you play a prank on me with Goten?"

"Eheh…"

… most of the time.

**FIN**


End file.
